


The Witch of The Wilds and The Knight She Couldn't Tame

by MarziDocs



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Halloween AU, It all goes from there, Kidnapping, Mercy is a witch, More people to be added later - Freeform, Pharah is a human, more tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2018-12-10 02:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11682525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarziDocs/pseuds/MarziDocs
Summary: The Witch of The Wilds has been harassing the town of Adlersbrunn for years, but it comes to a head when Fareeha finds herself trapped between a terrible circumstance; let herself fall into the hands of The Witch, or let The Witch destroy her town. But The Witch is not all that she seems either, and Fareeha may just find a horrific past and an ulterior motive under the sweet honey smiles of The Witch.A Halloween AU, spinning off of the Doctor Junkenstein comic.





	1. Strike A Deal

**Author's Note:**

> The updating schedule has been a bit of a mess since I've begun, but now I have opted to update once every other week on Friday; following a "first, third" ruling, where the fifth week of a month is not an update unless I have something ready. I do apologize for any unwarned hiatuses that appear as I go along, being in school as well as working gives me very little time to create content, but I will try my hardest.
> 
> Please review my work and tell me where I can improve! I want to become better as a writer, and will accept every piece of criticism I receive. It means a lot to be told that someone likes my work and wants to help me improve by pointing out weaknesses or holes or whatnot. Even if it's telling me I spelled something wrong! Even if it's pointing out a tiny mistake!!!! Send me a message and it'll make me so happy because that means I can get better! I don't have a beta on hand, so everything is done myself, so I have a habit of overlooking mistakes. Pointing them out helps me fix problems for future readers! So thank you for reading this as well. Have a good day, night, week, month, and year.
> 
> IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!!  
> this entire work has been canceled. Trying to post once every other week, nevertheless once a month, has led it to develop in a way i didnt mean to. You can read my last post and the comments to get a better idea of why, but like, dont take this as a personal view? Its kind of a mess overall, and maybe one day i'll rewrite it.  
> Dont forget to read the spiritual successor The Witch and The Maiden by goldenEY3, it's far better than this one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Witch threatens The King

     Overhead, quiet as an owl, soared a woman of extraordinary intelligence. She was a fey individual, a terrible trickster who spent her free time ruining the lives of others in any way she saw fit. Her mouth watered and her eyes stretched wider as she stared into the darkness about her, like she could see through the fog and gloom into the very souls of every living thing that existed below her, all the way down to bugs and beyond. She couldn’t help but let out a delighted squeal, leaning harshly to one side to spin her about on her long, thin broom. With unearthly speed, she zipped above the thick forest below her towards a tall, crumbling castle high upon a cliff. Below her the forest cleared where a lake had formed, and seeing her own reflection almost spooked the Witch enough to crash, but she recovered from the shock of seeing her own shape and pulled on her broom to bring herself back up. She continued to make a beeline for the castle before her.

     As she drew closer, she saw something that made her giddier than a child with a new toy: the castle was packed with people, lights shining in every window, and the trail leading up was packed with carriages and carts and groups of people, funneling further into the castle. _This was going to be just wonderful!_ She thought with utter certainty. She slowed her travel, swinging around the back of the stone structure to see if there was some unguarded entrance she could sneak in through. She found a window with no lights in it: just an empty, abandoned room and knew it would be perfect for her plan. She wrestled the glass pane in, slid it to the floor, and wiggled in after it, rolling away giggling. Getting up and dusting herself off, she kept the window open, in case she needed to make an escape later.

     "Oh, Reaper~!" She called into the darkened guest room. It made sense in her impish mind for her to take it; she was a guest, after all, and had one of her own on the way. The darkness grew and swelled, and before her stood the hunched form of what looked to be a headless horseman, minus a horse. He was tall and strongly-built, and filled the room with light from his well-carved replacement head. The collar to his coat went high along the sides of his head and cast strange shadows upon the wall when he looked about.

     "Gabriel, darling," The Witch purred, clasping her hands and setting them against her cheek in a begging motion, "will you be so kind as to guard me tonight?” She asked, syrup-sweet, though she knew full well that he could not refuse her. “I don’t want to be interrupted when I step outside to do a touch of work."

     "Fine…" He grumbled softly, turning away from her towards the door, but left opening it to her, out of spite. The Witch saddled her hovering broom and pulled a thick book from her hip, flipping through it leisurely. The Reaper pulled two large shotguns from his coat and leaned against the door, grumbling with his impatience. The Witch sat up suddenly, pleased with what she’d found. Returning the book to her side, she yanked the door open and flew out with incredible speed, squealing giddily as she zipped down the corridor towards the festival halls, huge and bright and decorated. The Witch delighted as what was originally the cheer and chatter of partiers turned into screams of fear and surprise as they noticed her and the Reaper trailing after. She looked below her and saw their shocked faces. Being All Hallow's Eve, they were all dressed up, but not a single one had dared dress up as her. _Good choice on their part_ , she thought. The Reaper had taken the form of unearthly black smoke which swirled and morphed as it slunk behind the speeding witch.

     Wasting no time for fear of his escape, the Witch dove through the doorway of the throne room, coming to a screeching stop before the King, who stared up at her like a man caught stealing. The Witch found his surprise and fear absolutely adorable, and couldn’t help but lick her lips as she soaked it up. How she wished she could have it frozen and hung on her bedroom wall – but this was not the time to lament. No, she was much too busy. The guards that protected the King rushed to get him from the hall to a safer location, but the Reaper quickly took care of them, leaving bloody pools and lifeless corpses where they once stood. The civilians still in the room raced out, fearing for their lives. Unprotected and outmatched, the King could do little more than sit there to see what the Witch wanted.

     "Reinhardt~! Long time no see, darling!!" The Witch giggled like a schoolgirl as she stared at him, lying down on her broom before flipping over to hang upside down. The Reaper stood off to the side, his guns drawn threateningly.

     "What do you want, witch?" The King growled, leaning forward in his chair.

     "So rude! To think the only reason I would visit the great king was because I wanted something? I'm truly hurt, Wilhelm!" The Witch set her hands over her heart, pouting at him. She couldn’t keep her serious attitude for long, and couldn't help but laugh as she dropped to her feet.

     "No, you're correct," she purred, sauntering up to the larger man, "all I want from you is my payment! It's All Hallow's Eve, dear King! And I was true to our pact – but you, you haven't even lifted a finger to fulfill your side. You owe me quite a lot of books! Books I know you can’t pull from behind your chair like I know you wish you could. How terrible would it be for your citizens to learn that you're this untrustworthy! That the whole reason they've been safe this past year has not, in fact, been because you're the strong leader they think you are? That it's because you made a pact with a terrible witch?!" She wailed dramatically, collapsing against the arm of his throne. She theatrically set a hand to her forehead, barely containing a giggle. "Oh no, we couldn’t have that, could we~?" She walked her fingers up his arm, fluttering her eyelashes at him, before she pulled herself back up and waltzed away to drape herself over the Reaper.

     "And, as incredibly powerful as I am, my dear Reaper could very well go rogue, having been betrayed like this – he's tied in too, you know – and that'd just be terrible, wouldn’t it? So –" she stood before him again, arms crossed and feet set wide apart, "what shall you do, dear King?"

     The King was visibly conflicted. Frankly, he had no clue what he could offer her; the Witch was a picky woman, and convincing her would not be done easily. "Will you take money? Land? What can I give you?" the King asked, cursing himself for showing his ignorance.

     The Witch grinned wide as she realized what he’d said, eyes shining bright. She nearly drooled with the thought of the opportunity, rising high on her broom. "Oh, dear King, I don’t want money! No, I want something of true, usable value! Perhaps… a life or two~?"

     She landed gracefully again, drawing close with her broom in hand. "Do you remember that one woman you hired? A certain… Alchemist? Yes, the Alchemist. How rude that old bat is! Did she tell you she shot me in the chest? Hurt terribly, too. The only reason she didn’t take me down was that you didn’t give the poor woman silver bullets! Your loss, too." She pouted once more, tracing a nasty little circular scar upon the skin above her heart. "Well, I learned she has a daughter – how wonderful for her, yes? So, all I want from you is her daughter. Bring me the Alchemist's daughter, alive, and all will be forgiven~."

     "What!? That is an impossible demand!" He finally stood, stepping forward to intimidate The Witch but she didn’t move at all from her position.

     "It's difficult yes, but I'm certain you can do it! Besides, if you don’t, it'll go poorly in your favor." She lowered her head, staring at him with hardening eyes.

     "And if I don't?" The King challenged, crossing his arms as he stared The Witch down.

     "Oh, but you will, King. Because if you won't, your knights and dear hailed heroes will not be able to protect you, for I have a weapon I have not yet unleashed upon you, one that no one could stop. So you will do this, or you will die." For the first time, her face went hard and cold, a deep, angry scowl on her face.

     The King wanted to call her bluff, say she was lying, but he had experienced her enough in the past to know The Witch did not lie. “Lying is a sin, and I do not sin.” The Witch would say, as if her mere existence wasn’t a sin. With no other choice, The King agreed. "… Fine, Witch. But if I do this, you will not return to my castle under any circumstances, understood?" The King threatened as much as he could.

     The Witch only sighed and nodded as her face went soft with her smile, knowing well that she had won. "I promise on my life, I will not return to your castle if you pay me this. But, that does not bar me from your town. Know that, dear King.

     "Oh, and one last thing," she hopped back onto her broom, facing away from him to fly her way out of the hall, "I would like The Alchemist's daughter by the 13th. I will visit you that day for her, and if you do not have her, that night I will attack you. Understood? Wonderful. Goodbye King! And good luck!" And without waiting for his response, she took off laughing, knowing she had won this battle and prevented any in the future. The Reaper took off behind her once more as a cloud of smoke, and just like that, the two were gone into the night. This left the poor King to sit alone and ponder how he was to accomplish this terrible task he was forced to complete.


	2. Let Them Know

     The King sat back in his throne and brooded. This was his mistake, how dare he agree to pawn off the life of a grown woman? But he couldn't take it back now. No, he needed to go through with it. For his kingdom, for his people. One life sacrificed for the good of many? Yes, it was for the best. Slowly, his charges and retinues and guards made their way back into his throne room to see if he was alright, and see what they could do now to help him. The King made his way back to his quarters with his head retinue following close behind.

     "Your Majesty? Is there something I can do for you?" The retinue asked, keeping close to his heels. He nearly smacked into The King when he froze up, turning to face his retinue.

     "…Yes. There is… Bring The Alchemist here tomorrow morning. I must speak with her immediately." He grumbled softly, eyes far as he thought. His retinue nodded quickly and ran off to do such, quite frightened by what had happened prior and his king's new attitude. He had never seen the kind, wise, and just king so furious, and it really worried him. The King however went straight into a restless sleep once he arrived in his quarters, knowing there wasn't much else he could do until The Alchemist arrived to speak with him.

\---------

     Early in the morning, not even an hour after the sun arose, The Alchemist arrived at Adlersbrunn Castle. She did not know why she was wanted, but she cared for The King, so she made the trip anyway. In the early morning hours she stepped into the throne room, smiling at the old King.

     "Reinhardt! Good to see you old friend. I hope you're doing well, what do you need of me?" The Alchemist's smile only got wider, slowly making her way to The King. She pushed down her hood, revealing her pale hair and single cheery, sparkling eye, adorned with an udjat much like her daughter had.

     "Ana, it is a pleasure to see you." The King couldn’t help the weak smile that rose to his face, even though he had a terrible weight on his shoulders that he would be passing onto her. "I… have something very demanding to ask of you, Ana, but it is for the good of this town if you agree." He groaned as he bent forward and got to his feet, approaching to take her hands in his. The Alchemist stared up at him, surprised and just a touch fearful. Anyone would believe he was about to propose, but she knew better of him, and his words had frightened her.

     The King opened his mouth to speak, before sighing and setting a hand over his eyes. "This does not come easy to me, Ana, I am so very sorry. Last night, I was attacked by The Witch, and she demanded of me something I cannot refuse. In exchange for being left alone for the rest of eternity, she would like your daughter, Fareeha, to be Her's. If I am to say no, she will attack us on the 13th, and kill anyone she can find, whether they are in the castle or not."

     The Alchemist's complexion paled, turning whiter than her hair as she realized the weight of the situation. The Witch of the Wilds, a being of incredible intelligence and power, wanted to kidnap her daughter. She couldn’t think of a single reason why The Witch would want her daughter, but she did, and just the idea sent her heart into her stomach and chilled her blood to icy slush.

     "The Witch has threatened us heavily, and you know her promises cannot be held lightly. If she was to truly attack us, it could be devastating to our town, and she may very well kill us all if her demand is not met. I am so sorry Ana, but it is for the best if we do give her up.

     The Alchemist lowered her head, holding her eye closed in sadness. "I do not really have a choice, do I? When does The Witch want her?"

     "The day of the 13th. That gives you 12 days with her. I would like to make sure she is here the night of the 12th, so The Witch cannot pull out this deal from under us. And for your loss, I would like to move you into my castle, Ana. This is a terrible loss, and one I would like to try and repay the best I can, but of course, that is your choice." The King pulled her closer, holding the draining form of the strong Alchemist to his chest, for fear that her grief would kill her then and there. The Alchemist hugged him back, unable to keep back her tears for the situation, and begun to soak the front of his shirt in her sorrow. The King let her cry all she wanted, knowing that it was a terrible circumstance, and would be one he feared she would not recover from lest he was there to support her.

     "Ana, you still have 12 days. She hasn’t taken her from you yet. Let's get you home, and we can speak with Fareeha about this, and make these days count."

\---------

     Since she returned home, the proud little witch could not stop celebrating her win. How glorious it was to finally have the upper hand against The King! She had spent the rest of the night and all morning cleaning her little shack in preparation, daydreaming about the woman who would be hers. The Witch and Fareeha had history, if it was only one-sided.

     The Witch had seen the mortal quite a few times, for she was the chief knight of The King for quite a long time. Her relationship with The Alchemist was as obvious as the day, for The Alchemist made daily visits to The King to spend time with him and her daughter. After she had been so terribly shot by The Alchemist, The Witch vowed to take her daughter away from her. At first it started as revenge, a plan to poison and kill, but after the many days and nights spent staking out and stalking the mortal, she had begun to fall in love with her. From the way she stood to the way she laughed to the way she could only relax amongst her mother and in the comfort of her own room, The Witch was enamored and enthralled, and couldn’t stop her sinful heart from beating with adoration for Fareeha. The Witch was hopelessly enslaved to the mortal, and she didn’t have the slightest clue, which only entrapped The Witch more as she tried to stop such feelings.

     But now the mortal would be all hers and she could finally spend real time with her. She would never be able to get away with that before. Such a well-known face could not pretend to be some normal human no matter what clothes she wore, and Fareeha was trained to kill. As much as she loved the human, she didn’t trust her not to drag her off by her hair and burn her at the stake. But, if she owned her, that would fix any issues. She would be in charge, and the human could do nothing she didn’t want her to. Of course, The Witch didn’t want to be cruel, she understood well what it was like to lose one's family, but still she wanted her. Perhaps with due time she would allow her to go places without her, and Fareeha would understand why she would do such a thing, but before then, the mortal would be all hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the chapters aren't all that long, which does starve the content slightly, but I am aiming to make sure there's a lot of information in each chapter, not filler. However, that does mean this story will go quickly, so I apologize for that.


	3. Trade Off

     It took some time, but The King was able to get the distraught Alchemist home quickly and safely. Ana, still terribly distraught, refused to do much other than sit on her couch and cry. She had lost enough people in her life, Fareeha was the final straw. Fareeha was out of the house running errands and working, always the busy one, so it was much later when she returned home for dinner. Immediately the two elders stood, staring at the young woman who walked in. Ana, trying to keep composed and not frighten her daughter, ushered her over but did no more. Reinhardt moved The Alchemist back to the couch, and when her daughter got close enough, directed her to sit as well.

     "Uhm, mom, what's the problem?" Fareeha was not stupid, she could tell easily that something was wrong, but their strange behavior confused her. The woman set a hand upon her mother's leg, trying to comfort her even though she wasn’t sure what was wrong. Ana was quick to pull her into a tight hug, sobbing gently into her shoulder. Fareeha squirmed, not uncomfortable with the contact, but moreso worried for her mother. When she had calmed down enough, Ana pulled away to look at her daughter. Her beautiful daughter, who was going to be taken from her like so many others she knew. The two stared at each other, and Reinhardt quietly remarked on the fact that their tattooed eyes were perfectly mirrored, so they stared into one another.

     "Fareeha, we… have been talking about an issue that has come up. And…" Reinhardt sighed and set his face in his hands, unsure how to explain their terrible issue. Fareeha was practically his daughter, having interacted with her all throughout her childhood and teenhood. Even though she was not his true flesh and blood, he thought of her such. How could someone say that they must give away their child? Especially when their child was quite an adult, and was so incredibly strong on their own.

     "The Witch has demanded something terrible of us, and it will affect you the most." He was able to speak, face sullen and voice low. Fareeha went cold across her skin, feeling chilled and fearful even though she hadn't even heard what would come to her. Ana pulled her back into a hug, beginning to sob again. Fareeha held her tight and tried to reassure her that everything would be alright.

"In order to protect this town for good from The Witch, she has asked for you. But, if you refuse, she is going to attack us with everything she has. I am so sorry we have to force this upon you. It is something I wish we never would encounter." Reinhardt tried to apologize to her, truly upset with the situation.

     Fareeha's blood went colder than ice, so incredibly frightened and confused. Why would The Witch ever want her? Why her and not someone else? Why not Reinhardt? But she knew these questions the elders already asked themselves, and wished they knew the answers to as well. "Will- will she just, have me?" She asked, eyes wide as she stared at The King.

     "Yes, but I don’t know what that will mean. I know she doesn’t want you dead, but I don’t know anything more than that. But, I have been planning on how we will get you back. If we attack her when she least expects it, and with you in our midst, we may be able to kill her. It would be incredibly rough on your part, but truly, it is your choice, we can always try to see what we can do if you say no." Reinhardt responded, trying to assure her that his plan would work.

     "…Well, I have to say yes. Even if I can’t get back, I would be protecting everyone from her, and that is good enough for me." Fareeha steeled her nerves, an arm still wrapped around the shoulder of her mother, whom had composed herself during their talk. The three stared at one another, unsure what else to say. Still, the Amari's clung to one another, not yet ready to break apart.

\---------

     The days passed too quickly and too slowly for the liking of any of them. For The Witch it was too slow. She got ready too quickly, she was too prepared, and it made her anxious. As for the others, the days didn’t really feel like days. When Fareeha wasn’t training to increase her strength, she spent it with her mother, but rarely in her own house. Slowly they seemed to move into The King's castle, Reinhardt was too eager to make them comfortable, but his eagerness was understandable, for he wanted to keep them happy and in well spirits as much as possible.

     On the night of the 12th the Amari's spent the night together, reminiscing and talking about the sweet memories they had. Fareeha’s headstrong nature, her tenacity, how well she took after her mother. Ana reminisced about Fareeha’s childhood, how the now-adult wanted nothing more than be the knight to save the princess, and still that will shone through. The love the mother and daughter shared was far too strong to be so easily broken and torn apart by such a circumstance, and Fareeha joked lightly that her mother would act in such a protective way if she was getting married. Before they knew it, morning had come, and Ana moved her to get her ready for what she had planned for the day. Ana dolled up her daughter, doing her makeup and setting her in her most comfortable and most flattering clothing. Fareeha was not one to get dolled up, but it felt nice to do even for such a terrible reason.

     When Ana was done, Fareeha looked like a goddess. Her hair was brushed silk smooth and her braids had been redone with new gold beads which hung from her hair like earrings, eyeliner and blush done upon her dark skin. Although it wasn’t all that flashy, she was set in a thin long black dress, which, paired with her lovely olive skin, made her glow. The front of the dress held a decorative clasp of gold which parted her dress into two strips that tied at the base of her neck. Below her left hip the dress split, showing the near entirety of her leg, depending on how she shifted. To finish her outfit, upon her feet sat short black heels. Fareeha felt both too dressed up as well as too underdressed. The situation felt like one where she must wear something fancy, but even though she loved how she looked, she felt like she was going on a date than going into the hands of a sociopathic witch. Ana, tears running down her face, brought her daughter into a tight hug as they made their way to Reinhardt's throne room. Fareeha kept her eyes dry, knowing that if she cried too she'd ruin her makeup, and that would spark a round of more laughter and tears.

     The King was already there waiting for them, smiling softly. The Witch was nowhere to be seen, which was strange, for she was to arrive at any moment. Fareeha half expected The Witch to already be there, to have arrived as soon as she was ready, or probably before then. But no, the air was still and empty, calm and so unlike what she knew the air would be like when The Witch filled it with her presence. The clock ticked slowly, too slowly, signifying The Witch's inevitable arrival.

     It was nearly three when Fareeha thought that, perhaps, The Witch wouldn't arrive at all. But suddenly the entrance of the throne room exploded in white light, blinding the three inhabitants.

     When it receded, there stood the Witch, completely alone.


	4. Conflict

     The air, not at all like Fareeha believed, did not change in the slightest. No, it seemed to grow a touch warmer, but not enough to be incredibly noticeable. The three mortals shivered with their fright, staring and poised to attack. But The Witch did not move, only smiled softly, and at the corners of her lips, regrettably. 

     The Witch's hands clasped before her, wringing with her hidden anxiousness. She took a few steps forward, towards Fareeha, and held out her left hand for her to take.

     "It is wonderful to finally meet you, Fareeha. Though I'm sure you'd say the opposite." The Witch spoke, smiling softly. Fareeha refused to take her hand, standing frozen in her spot.

     "Not even going to speak to us, Witch?" Reinhardt stepped forward, planning on cutting off her travel towards the youngest woman.

     The Witch gasped softly, setting a hand over her eyes and shaking her head, still smiling away. "Oh yes, my apologies Reinhardt, we still have to speak about this." She redirected her course and stood before the large man, smiling sweetly all the while.

     "So, like we spoke of before. I take Fareeha, and I will never enter your castle or its grounds again. Never, not even if she passes. Deal?" She held out her right hand to be shook, her left at her hip to show him her trustworthiness. But, Reinhardt stilled, looking at the two Amari's with his worry. He didn’t want to make this choice without him, they could still pull out if need be, but they didn’t back down either, so he took The Witch’s hand and shook regrettably. Ana blessedly kept her eyes dry, and Fareeha kept her head high with her pride and honor. The Witch bowed gently, rising again and approaching Fareeha once more.

     "You are looking absolutely lovely Fareeha, I'm honored to finally be in your presence." She held out her hand once more for her to take, only after realizing she wouldn’t relent did Fareeha take it. "Now, I do hope you packed this lovely lady a suitcase, did you not?"

     Reinhardt hadn't thought of such a thing, whipping his head to face Ana, who had stood beside him. She wiped her eyes and nodded, leaving to retrieve it. When she came back, she gave the overflowing case to her daughter, glaring at The Witch every second she could. The Witch didn’t react, too caught up with watching the face of her new charge. Fareeha rarely even glanced at The Witch, her face steely and flat, much like she was trying her hardest not to focus on the other or show her emotions at all. The Witch felt bad, truly, but she wasn’t going to do anything now about it now.

     "Genji darling, would you come here now?" The Witch called into the open air, looking around for the man she called for. Almost immediately a knight approached from one of the side passages, his helm pushed up to show his face. Reinhardt and Fareeha jumped, surprised to see this knight approach. He had worked for Reinhardt for years, and with Fareeha as long as he had been in their ranks. For such a kind boy to be affiliated with The Witch came as a terrible shock for them.

     "You planted a spy among us!?" Reinhardt growled, stepping forward to remove of The Witch himself.

     She only smiled and shook her head. "Oh no, dear King, he is not a spy for me. No, I saved the poor boy's life, something like that always comes with a price you know. He is just repaying his dues." The Witch waved her hand dismissively and walked to the entrance of the throne room once more, pulling Fareeha along with her. While distracted, Genji took her suitcase and followed the two. Before the three stepped out of the room, they disappeared in another flash of light, and then not a trace remained of them.

\---------

     When Fareeha could see again, they were out of the castle and in the dense woods, somewhere that Fareeha didn’t recognize. They were posed on a well worn road, one leading further into the woods, and another leading to a lake shore, and then most likely out of the woods. She memorized the area well, before turning back to The Witch.

     "I am sorry we had to meet through such… unpleasurable circumstances. Truly I am." The Witch spoke, her hand over her heart. "It's a short way to my house, and then we can relax and get you situated, yes?" She didn’t wait for Fareeha's response, arm hooked with hers, and began to walk again.

     The trip truly was short, but still Fareeha's feet ached when she could finally see the house. The woods parted and from the treetops rose the little shack. The house was tall and thin, looking like a castle tower that a poor princess would be trapped in. The walls were made of a base of brick, but as they climbed higher, turned to a grey, paling, rosy wood. The door was painted bright yellow, a stark contrast to the rest of the dull building. In the back of the house rose a thin chimney, smoking heavily from the tip. There seemed to be a total of three floors, as well as an attic. The walls were very small in comparison to the huge individually carved windows set into them, but there still seemed to be a lot of wall space. The attic was lit, as well as the bottom floor, but nothing else was lit up. To fight against the old rundown look of the house, practically every available surface was adorned with bright colorful wind chimes or woven structures of some form.

     The Witch walked ahead, drawing keys from her pocket, and opening the front door for her two guests. Fareeha walked in without being prompted, knowing she should do her best to please The Witch, lest she would not be trusted sooner. Fareeha looked about the interior of the house. It was surprisingly large on the inside, with high ceilings and thin stairs and walls covered all the way to the ceiling in framed pictures and paintings and shelves of knick knacks and frivolous items. Right beside the door was The Witch's broomstick, completely unrestrained, just floating there like it was on a broom hook. Fareeha thought about taking it and racing out the door but decided against it. It was Her's, and would most likely obey her over some mortal who had never used one before. The Witch beamed at Fareeha, all too happy to have her in her house and all too happy to finally be home. Genji set down Fareeha's suitcase and left without further word. Fareeha cursed herself for not speaking with him before he left, but she knew he would return to The King and hopefully would be able to tell them how to get to her house, although something told her that also would not be possible.

     "So Fareeha, what would you like to do first? We could have a meal, or perhaps you'd like to unpack in your room? I just set down all new furniture and linen, it’s quite nice now." The Witch smiled sweetly, taking up her suitcase to move it to the stairs. Fareeha did not speak, so displeased by the situation that she was unsure what to say or do. At her silence The Witch frowned, moving to her living room to sit down. It was the area of the house that held the fireplace, as well as two chairs that faced a long coffee table, and a couch on the opposite side.

     "Fareeha, how about we make you more comfortable? I'm sure you have questions for me, yes? I'll answer nearly anything you ask truthfully, and I won’t force you to answer anything I ask as well. Does that sound good?" The Witch smiled at the younger woman, trying her hardest to win her over. Fareeha barely moved from her spot, juggling the opportunity. She knew that all The Witch wanted was to get her to speak, her silence made her uncomfortable, and she was going to do anything she could to remedy it. After a long few moments of contemplating, she nodded and approached, sitting upon the couch, for The Witch took up a seat in one of the plush chairs.

     "… Go ahead Fareeha. Ask anything you wish of me." The Witch prompted, obviously uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed. She seemed to be regretting taking Fareeha, like someone watching an animal die outside of its habitat. Fareeha was wilting, and all The Witch wanted was to see her love look natural and happy.

     Fareeha was completely unsure what to ask, but she was given such an amazing opportunity she would be a fool to waste it. "…What is your name? Your real name."

     The Witch paused, quite surprised by her question. She knew one day she would answer such a question, but everyone was so used to just calling her a witch that it had never truly came up. "Uh- my name is Angela. Angela Ziegler."

     The room fell silent again as the two thought about the information now presented.

     “What were you before you were a witch?” Fareeha wondered out loud.

     “I- I have always been a witch. My parents were, so I am. Although, I wanted to be a doctor first…” Angela wrung her hands gently, thinking over what she had said.

     "Now-… Why did you take me? Why not Reinhardt? Why me?" Fareeha scowled softly, sounding incredibly accusing even though she hadn't actually done so. The question frightened Angela, she had originally planned to answer her if this was asked, but now in the moment she was unsure if she could.

     Angela opened and closed her mouth like a gasping fish, outwardly juggling what she was to say. "I wanted to... you are… It is complicated. You wouldn’t understand if I told you." Was all she could finally get out. She wasn’t tripping over her words, but she was strained, thinking carefully of what she was going to say.

     "I'm what, witch?" Fareeha sneered, leaning forward as her well-contained anger began to spill out.

     "You're- what does it matter!? You are mine now, you're not a woman who can argue about your position any longer. You're just like all of my other servants, except you're one I actually wanted. I'm not even going to force you to work! You'll just be here for my amusement and that’s it! Do not complain, I have given you a life free from any work." Angela argued, standing up to intimidate her.

     "Bullshit!" Fareeha yelled, jumping to her feet and refusing to back down. "You have a reason, tell me! Is this revenge for when my mother shot you? Why not take her then!? Do you want more power? Then  take Reinhardt! Why do I have to suffer?!"

     "You're not supposed to suffer!" Angela cried, her hands balled into fists. If someone were to walk in, she would look furious but pleading, like she was trying to hide some terrible secret from getting out, although no secret was worse than being known as a witch. "Gods- I don’t want you to suffer, I want you to be happy here! I didn’t take you just to make you miserable." She continued, her hands coming up to her eyes. Fareeha stood silent, now incredibly confused. Angela was right, she wouldn’t understand. If she didn’t want her to suffer, then why did she ever take her in the first place?

     "I-… Do not act like the victim here, witch! I'm the one who has been kidnapped, you will always be the bad guy! Do not act like you can cry to gain any pity from me. You are the witch who has been doing wrong for decades! You should've been killed when you were first conceived! Gods, if I could I'd kill you where you stand now!" Fareeha could not longer handle her temper, her face red with her unbridled fury.

     Angela stared, mouth agape and eyes wide. She had been called many things over her life, but no one had ever said something like this to her. Still on her feet, her skin went pale, like she had snapped out of a trance. Slowly, ever so slowly, she stepped forward, closer to Fareeha, staring at the younger woman with expressionless eyes. Fareeha, still hot and blinded by her rage, could not tell if she really was feeling anything besides shock, not that she truly cared. But something stirred in her belly, urging her to back down, that she had done wrong, even though Angela had started it all.

     Raising her head, Angela began to walk to the staircase, pausing as she set her hand on the railing. "…Your room is on the third floor, first door on your left." She spoke softly, and then she was gone, heading up the creaky stairs, and disappearing further into the house. Fareeha was frozen where she stood. Had she really won that argument? Against The Witch? She wondered faintly why she didn’t just do something terrible to her, she had been infuriating and defiant, but no, The Witch had left without even a curse in her direction, which came with much confusion. She always thought that The Witch was some sort of heartless monster, expecting her house to be full of death and decay and those she had captured and was experimenting on, but as she had seen earlier, Angela seemed to have nothing of the sort. She had been so easy to upset, as it had seemed. She struck a nerve, how could that have been so easy? She was supposed to be a heartless monster who would laugh in the face of an upset child, but here, she seemed to crumble just at being cursed at, as if Fareeha's opinion of her meant more than anything else in the world. Still hot-headed and bewildered, Fareeha spun around looking for something to take her fury out on when she spotted the unprotected broom of The Witch. If she could practice, even slightly, perhaps she could escape now and head down the path outside of the house and back to the village. If she encountered anyone, she knew she could convince them to help her, and she bet she could escape. With the opportunity right in front of her she raced to the door and swung it open- unlocked, how much the foolish witch trusted her -and grabbed the broom.


	5. Escape

     Spinning her body, Fareeha flew out the door and slammed it behind her, racing down the well worn path before her with the speedy tool gliding beside her. Her pulse thundered in her ears, thumping even louder than her feet on the path. She expected to hear at any moment the sound of the door and angry shouting, but lights didn’t even flicker in the windows behind her. No matter how much her feet ached or her dressy shoes protested, she kept running, only stopping when she thought herself far away and she could see the lake in front of her. The broom hadn't protested to being removed from its owner even once, still floating pleasantly and being ever so responsive.

     It was an intricate, strange thing like nothing Fareeha had ever encountered. The actual broom base was well worn and made from a peeled branch, full of grooves and knots and eyes. The bristles of the broom made a lovely little bell shape, pluming like a cropped ponytail. The additions to it was quite futuristic and gave it an otherworldly look. The top of the broom was carved away to fit a tube of metal that did… something. Exactly what Fareeha was unsure of, for she had never seen The Witch use her broom for anything other than flying. Three metal prongs floated about the tube, made of iron and gold and engraved upon either side of each was a rune which glowed a lovely yellow. The actual handle, moreso where one would grip it for a flight use, of the broom seemed to had grown around something in its early years, looking to be the handle and firing pin of a shotgun, of which held a little black screen, from which glowed a little yellow plus. Whatever that meant, Fareeha had no idea, and would hope she didn’t need to touch if she was to fly the beast. On the side right below the top of the broom was a little silver placard nailed into the wood. Painted upon it in all capitals in a slightly fading yellow paint was a name of sorts- SALEM. Must be the broom's name.

     Fareeha steadied Salem beside her, swinging her leg over like she was getting upon a bike or horse. Planting both of her feet firmly upon the ground, she stared at the floating instrument between her legs. First, she pulled up upon it, waiting to be risen in the air with it, but all it did was jostle her dress and rub uncomfortably upon the insides of her thighs. She imitated the action of spurring it, leaning the tip of the broom upward so if it did start it wouldn’t go immediately into the brush before her, but still the broom would not fly. Fareeha tried jumping, and to her surprise it lifted her up. Miraculously, she was floating a few inches above the ground, her legs kicking weakly as she stretched to touch the ground. She balanced precariously upon the broom, leaning about to stay steady. This time, she leaned the nose of the broom level and began to take off. It went a bit fast, and she'd jerk back on it like it were reins to slow down and return to the ground slightly. She reoriented herself and, now knowing how the fly the beast, flew slowly along the dirt path. As terrifying as it was to be upon a machine that actually flew, she couldn’t deny that it was a wonderful rush. She leaned towards the handle and that sped up the machine, throwing her down the path at a faster and faster speed. Any moment now she'd break out along a major road, Fareeha thought, and then it would be smooth flying back to the castle and her mother.

     Several minutes passed, Fareeha had counted, with no sign of anything more than the same dense forest before her. With her bravery growing, she pulled up and soared into the sky beyond the treetops, looking around for the castle. To her shock and surprise, the stone structure was far behind her. She gasped and turned, albeit poorly, and then sped off towards the castle. Why would The Witch have a path like this if it didn’t lead where she needed it to? She assumed she had created the road just to throw her off, but it seemed much too natural to be like that. Not liking the height, Fareeha would sink back down into the forest, weaving with ease, although she'd slow down to avoid any collisions. Around her she began to notice flashes of green light, a strange sight in a forest like this. Not even will o' wisps were green, so what could be causing such a light?

     She refused to speed up, and even began to slow down. The green lights were scaring her, but if she lost her cool she may end up hurt. A slow dodge had her nearly knocking into a tree trunk, so she halted quickly to regain her composure. She could hear her heart thundering away, frightened by her brush with danger. She was getting sick of it all, she wanted to be home, she wanted to be safe, but no matter where she went there were still trees. It was growing dark, she could see from the darkening sky above her. Heart still beating too fast, she got off the broom to rest on the solid ground. 

     Resting against one of the large trees, she set her head in her hands, taking the time to rest from her emotional running and previous fight. So caught up in her recuperation, she didn’t notice the figure who stepped in front of her, and took the broom until she rose her head to stand up. Finally spotting the figure in front of her, she jolted and pressed her back to the bark. Before her stood Genji, smiling but still in his armor as always.

     Fareeha rolled her head, breathing heavy from her spook. "God- Genji what the heck are you doing here!? You're here to take me back to her aren't you?" She held her hand over her heart, still beating as fast as a cheetah from the shock.

     "Yeah I am. But she's not in control of me right now, so we have time to chat." Genji smiled and sat down in front of her, setting the broom against a tree.

     "Do you have to take me back? Why can't you help me escape?" Fareeha asked, planning on escaping if Genji planned to force her back.

     "I'd love to help you back to your mother, I know this is traumatic. Don't think just because I'm still under her control that I immediately want to side with her, but I want to help you get some sort of word out." He dug through his pockets, pulling out a fountain pen and a thin scroll. "Write whatever you want, and then I'll take it to your mother. However I cannot just relay where The Witch lives. She's good at covering her tracks, so I will forget it as soon as I leave the forest."

     Fareeha's angry face softened, taking the tools in her hands. "Oh… thank you Genji. I appreciate it a lot. God- but I can’t stand Angela! Why does she even want me?"

     "Well, I can tell you you'll learn that soon. Angela is a softie. Under that fey exterior, she's really a kind person. Did you know she became a witch to heal the fallen? She's just… changed, over time…" Genji's smile wavered slightly, sighing softly as he thought about The Witch.

     Fareeha listened to him with half an ear, too busy with writing to talk to him. When she finished, the rolled it up and handed them back to him. "A healer? Really? What's the story behind that?" she asked incredulously, obviously not believing the younger man.

     "Hey, that’s not my story to tell! Just, warm up to her, be a bit kind. I'm sure you'll learn if you get her talking. I know it’s tough, but she has certainly been kind to you, she let you ask questions! So, let’s go back so I can deliver your letter." Genji got to his feet, grabbing onto the broom and tucking it under his arm, while he held out his hand for her to take. She took it gratefully and stood, following him through the forest. They walked not ten feet before the forest cleared, and they were back at The Witch's house. Fareeha wondered how that could be, for she was many miles away from the house when she was above the trees, but she believed that, not only was she being disoriented by the trail, but that the forest was probably enchanted, and sent her this way and that instead of where she thought she was headed.

     "Head on in Fareeha, I'll see you sometime." Genji pressed the broom back into her hands, and turned to enter the forest once more. When he disappeared, Fareeha sighed and headed to the front of the door. Taking a deep breath as her hand rested on the knob, she finally turned and pushed it in, following the natural flow.


	6. Apologies

     Fareeha rose her head and looked around, eyes instantly landing on the shocked form of The Witch. She had taken a seat at the kitchen table, no longer is her normal outfit. Her boots and hat were discarded and her corset and caplet was no longer on her form, though she still sat in her thick black leotard. Her hair, usually kept in a high tight ponytail, was down so it fell around her shoulders. As soon as she realized who Fareeha was she jumped to her feet. There was not even a scrap of anger on her face, only worry and upset.

     "Oh Fareeha, Gods I was so worried!" Angela stepped closer, acting much like a concerned mother. She shoved a hand into her hair, pushing it away from her face. "And you're hurt! Gods, I'm sorry, I could've prevented this…"

     Fareeha had no idea what she was talking about. She never once got hurt while she was out there. But, as she followed The Witch's gaze, she noticed that her left leg, her knee exposed from the part in the dress, had suffered a scrape. Bright blood pearled upon the surface of her skin like tiny rubies, and instinctively she rubbed it into her skin to dry it up.

     "Oh no," Angela started, reaching out to take her hand and drag her up the stairs. "Let's patch that up before you bleed all over your dress."

     Fareeha understood now that what Genji had said was true, Angela really did care for people instinctively. She was known for taking the dying and saving them, but many thought it to be a curse, not a gift from her. Angela dragged her up the stairs to the second floor, the broom discarded as soon as Fareeha began to move. There were three open rooms there; a laundry room, a guest bedroom, and a large bathroom. The Witch sat her down upon the cover of the toilet, going through cabinets for medical supplies. Fareeha felt much like a child who had injured themselves playing, and Angela was a parent frightened by the sight of their wound, even though Fareeha was just fine. Before she knew it, her knee had been cleaned and dressed, the scrape covered with a large bandage and a bit of vaseline. Angela cleaned the bathroom counter, washing her hands absentmindedly.

     "…So, you're not mad I ran off with your broom?" Fareeha began, surprised that Angela showed not even the slightest bit of anger. Angela looked to the younger woman, her eyes wide with surprise.

     "Well, I expected it! Albeit, not so early. I knew at some point you'd want to go back, as much as I wish you didn’t." Angela pulled Fareeha to her feet. Not once was Fareeha able to see The Witch in a normal light, always either running or fighting or floating, she was never able to truly look at Angela with a clear head. Angela, even though she was the older woman, was shorter than Fareeha. She was thin but curvy, the thick cotton leotard fitting her well, with skin white like ivory. Fareeha was surprised that she was ever intimidated by such a lady. Her head buzzed slightly with the thought of how she was wearing just the leotard, and was surprised to see so much of The Witch's unmarred skin, even though she knew she had fought a lot over the years. Whatever kept her skin so smooth must also be whatever was keeping her so young, for the doctor looked barely 25, when she was actually nearly 40.

     "Would you like dinner first or would you like to check out your room instead? I've already set your suitcase in there. Really I think you'll like it." Angela asked, her hands on her hips.

     "Uh, dinner would be nice." Fareeha wouldn’t admit that she was quite starving. Plans made, Angela nodded and headed downstairs without her. Fareeha realized that they didn’t talk about what would be had for dinner, so she followed close behind to begin such a conversation.

     "But, uh, what do you have planned for dinner?" Fareeha started, being careful on the stairs for she was still in heels.

     "Don’t know!" Angela kept walking, heading straight into the kitchen. "I'm thinking something easy. Do you like chicken?" Angela turned and smiled at the younger woman, eyes twinkling with mischief. Fareeha felt her cheeks grow warmer, and couldn't do much other than nod in response. Angela turned away and got to work, pulling out pans and small pots and going through her fridge for food items. Fareeha was unsure what to do, so she searched through her cabinets and drawers for utensils and plates and began to dress the little wooden table.

     Angela was making, as Fareeha found out only from watching her work, a sort of parmesan chicken. Well seared chicken drowned in a white cheese, and garnished with some sort of thin herb, basil Fareeha realized from the smell. She would be lying if she said that it didn’t look delicious, and the smell was making her stomach rumble impatiently. Angela gave her a knowing smile, ushering her to grab the plates so she could set the food upon them.

     Fareeha felt queer. How strange the situation was, wasn’t she supposed to be afraid? But no, all she felt was pleasant and calm, a opaque eagerness fluttering at the edges of her vision. How very queer indeed. The dinner was lovely, Fareeha said when they were done. The two barely spoke at all as they ate, and Fareeha would be lying if she said she wasn’t full by the end. Angela fed her until she refused, much too happy to see the younger woman so pleased.

     "Now, would you like to see your room?" Angela hummed as she set their dishes in the sink, Fareeha felt like an unhelpful guest, but Angela wouldn’t let her do anything besides push out her chair. Still Fareeha stood, trying to help with something. But Angela kept her from lifting even a finger.

     "You don’t have to word it like you’ve adopted me, I'm a grown woman Angela." Fareeha countered, feeling like a child who had been put in the care of a foster parent. Angela only nodded her head gently, her eyes closed as she made her way to the stairs.

     "Yes that’s true, I apologize Fareeha. I just… haven't been able to have a real conversation with someone in a while. I'm not used to speaking with or to adults. Or, with anyone, for that matter." Angela had an air to her which drew Fareeha to follow. Angela took her up to the third floor, the hall was adorned by two doors on either side, unlike the other floor she had seen. One was a bathroom, set upon the right wall, for the door was open and she could see in easily. However, the bedroom across from it was not, so Angela pushed it open with her hand and directed the younger woman inside.

     The room was done up in soft colors, creams and browns and blues that reminded Fareeha of the sky and sweet earth. There was a large window on two walls of the room, one which stretched the length of the twin bed and another which stood beside the cocked desk. There was a stack of papers there, with an ink set and even a seal set, which allowed Fareeha the freedom of sealing her letters if she was ever to write one, with the security of the contents never being viewed by eyes not made for it.

    At the foot of the bed was a short dresser, a small candelabra on the top. On the wall the women had entered through were two doors which faced each other, obviously leading to the closet. The bed itself was quite thin, but Fareeha would be comfortable all the same. It held a single pillow and some thin sheets. Normally, such a thing would look as if Angela was starving her for nightly comfort, but really it was quite the opposite. Fareeha hated heavy sheets, nevertheless more than one, and to feel that the sheets were made of a rough fabric only made her happier. Fareeha liked the feel of silky materials, but she got hot easily, and any material besides cotton would make her uncomfortable. The top sheet was a thin patterned material made of shades of brown and gold and matched the pillows in pattern, while the fitted sheet was a solid color of a royal blue. Fareeha did not think about how The Witch knew what she liked, especially something as private as her sleeping preference. Her absence of such a thought was best if Fareeha was to feel any semblance of security and privacy in the house.

     Fareeha's suitcase sat next to the bed, still closed and untouched, besides the fact that it had been moved, but nothing more than that.

     "I assume you would like to go to bed now Fareeha?" Angela asked, still standing in the doorway.

     "Yes, it's quite late and today was long. Thank you again for dinner." Fareeha spoke thoughtlessly, still looking about the room.

     Angela seemed pleased by the answer, and stepped back to leave her be. "Well, the bathroom across is all yours, I will not be using it. I hope to see you in the morning. Good night Fareeha." Angela smiled and pulled away, waiting but a moment for Fareeha's reply, before leaving and going upstairs.

     All alone, Fareeha paced around the room, looking over everything just for the sake of getting to know her surroundings. When she was sated she stopped at her suitcase, prying it open and beginning to set her belongings in the drawers of the dresser. After doing her nighttime routine, Fareeha finally retired to bed, slipping under the sheets and falling asleep without another thought.


	7. Insomnia

    The night was hard on Angela. She tossed and turned, blown away by the fact that she had Fareeha! She had her! She was right below her! Angela could stand up, walk downstairs, and see Fareeha there before her. But the last thing she wanted to do was freak out the woman. With nothing to do and sleep just out of reach, she drew herself up and out of her room, treading quietly down the stairs and to the bottom floor. Immediately her eyes found her broom, suspended where Fareeha had left it. Angela approached and took the enchanted rod into her hands, looking it over to see if it had been harmed at all during Fareeha's escapade. Of course, she didn’t care if it really was damaged, but it would give her a better idea what she did. But no, there was not even a water mark upon the broom, looking just like it did when she left it last.

     It was a beautiful night, Angela thought, what a shame if she didn’t enjoy it. She couldn’t sleep anyway, so what harm could it do? She stepped outside, and took off with the experience of a master. She soared above the treetops, letting the wind whip her hair about and flow around her like a parting sea. She let her broom take her wherever, following some natural path and the light of the moon. It was too late to buy groceries, although Angela didn’t really need to anyway. Her body ached to do something, to work or move, so she let her body lead her. The night was natural, normal almost. The moon was bright but not yet full, and it lit up the forest and lakes below her. Angela felt strange. She no longer was hunting for Fareeha, could not waste her time and excuse her insomnia on the busy thoughts forced by the mortal by seeing upon her. No, now Angela's restlessness was all her own, enacted by some unknown force to torment her. At least, that’s what she blamed it upon. When flying did little more that irk her and set her body into a more feverish hunger to move, she returned home. Perhaps she would brew something. Something that would set her to sleep, or remove this terrible gnawing emotion from her chest.

     She parked her broom and marched her way into the basement, where her more sensitive items rested. The room was made of stone and thus was quite cold during any time of the year, but thankfully not wet. The walls, much like the other floors in the house, were lined with shelves, and cluttered in finished potions or prepared ingredients. How awful Angela felt, to be turning to her own work to appease her bestial hunger to perform some unknown action.

     However, no matter how much she slaved over her pot or searched her book for recipes, she was too distracted to make anything. She would either burn her brew, or set too much of an ingredient in, or do something else amateur to ruin her work and force her to cast it down the drain. The night was just not hers, not tonight at least. She rolled her head and groaned, annoyed and exhausted, but her busy mind would not quiet down no matter how much she tried to relax. She ended up pacing the entire house before she found herself to the door of Fareeha's room. Was she really going to bother the poor girl with her inability to sleep? Yet her answer came anyway, for her body moved upon its own accord, and quietly opened the door. The house was dark, so she would not awake her with the sudden presence of light.

     Fareeha's window had its blinds drawn back, letting the gentle moonlight filter in like dye through water. Fareeha herself was under the covers, her form barely shifting with her breathing. She was ethereal, a goddess, Angela believed, by the way her hair shone with the silver light and the way it ghosted across her cheeks. To see the mortal in such a state of serenity and bliss sent her heart swelling in her chest and she felt as if she'd float without the help of her broom. Moving closer, she could see the look on her face, buried into her pillow. Fareeha, eyes blessedly closed, had not a furrow or wrinkle on her face. Her brow was relaxed, eyes held closed with their weight only, not a single care in the world, not a touch of strain on her body. From a parting of the sheets, Angela could see what Fareeha was wearing. She knew that she wore full pajamas, unlike Angela who could not handle clothes on in the slightest when she rested. The pajamas in question were simple in pattern. While she couldn’t see what pants, she could easily tell the shirt; some short-sleeved cut of fabric, dyed to hold thin blue pinstripes upon a white background. An outfit that Fareeha favorited. Just watching the mortal sleep, so peaceful even in a time of turmoil made Angela's heart glow, so happy and pleased to even see her like this. And as she watched, she felt her eyes get heavy. Turning on her heel, Angela left, her eyes trying not to leave the form she loved so dearly until the door was closed. Overcome with a helpless exhaustion, Angela made her way to her room and collapsed onto her own bed, falling asleep as soon as she stilled.


	8. Betrayal - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy first day of October! I made a promise to myself to upload a chapter today for you guys because this is the month of the supernatural! Instead of updating every other Friday, I will be uploading every single Friday of this month, but after that everything should return to normal. I have chapters queued up just in case as well. Enjoy the chapter!

     The days they spent together went much the same as the first. Although it was silently said that Fareeha was not allowed to leave, she still had the right and ability to, and Angela wouldn’t really stop her if she did. Really walking out of the woods would be the difficult part for Fareeha, but rarely there was a reason to leave at all. Angela would go for groceries and would cook all three meals- with Fareeha’s help when she wanted to -while Fareeha had full reign to indulge in whatever was around the house. After lunch on the second day, Fareeha produced from her suitcase a book, one she was working on and hadn't finished yet. Angela had never read the book, and after getting a synopsis on where Fareeha was and what had happened prior, would have her read out loud so she could indulge in it as well. They were surprisingly homely, Fareeha made the connection after being with Angela for a few days. Realistically, it should have been quite the opposite; strained and uncomfortable, with fights at every turn, if not a few threats. But no, Fareeha found herself, more often than not, relaxing upon the couch, with Angela leaning against her.

     With no real job, Angela did whatever she wished when she wished. Occasionally she would leave to run errands or do tasks she would not elaborate upon, but if Fareeha really wished, she would drop the task and stay for her. If Fareeha really wished, she could have Angela wrapped around her finger. Throughout all the time spent together, Angela expertly hid her feelings. She did notice when she was getting too close and would back off thus, but Fareeha was so kind and sweet it seemed she didn’t notice at all. It was only after two weeks that Fareeha noticed Angela's strange behavior. She would stare a bit too long or her hands would linger on hers, little things that set her off as being more than friendly. Of course, it startled and confused Fareeha. Had Angela always felt these things, or had she noticed it just as it began? It made her… anxious? She wasn’t sure what she felt about it, but it set her heart in her throat and a heavy blush on her cheeks. Nearly a whole three weeks after Fareeha's capture did Angela come home less than smiling. No, when she returned home, she had a note in hand and a nasty wound upon her arm. Fareeha would've jumped up and run off for medical supplies if the wound wasn’t already healing, slowly but noticeably, before her eyes.

     "What happened Angela? Did you get attacked?" That was a stupid question, Fareeha realized. Of course she got attacked. The terrible cut and bullet hole wouldn't have been caused by some random animal or branch, but Angela seemed not to mind at all.

     "I ran into The Archer, that fool... He finally found out about his brother, but instead of going for him, he decided to stick an arrow in my arm. Thankfully I am healing fine, but I'm still angry about it." Angela rubbed at the wound, watching the skin stitch itself back together under her fingers. "The letter however, is for you. From whom I am not sure, but I will not intrude and read it." She handed the letter over, stalking off to take care of whatever she needed to do. Fareeha did not bother her when she worked.

     She held the letter in her hands, staring at the little wax seal and the scrawled writing on the front. She recognized almost immediately that it was from her mother. Tearing into the seal, she pulled the letter from the envelope and unfolded it to read it over.

_Fareeha, I hope to the gods that The Witch has allowed you to even read this letter. I would like you to send me a letter in return if possible, I was able to receive your first one, but of course that came by the hands of Genji. If this comes in a sealed envelope, wonderful, that means that hellish witch has at least allowed you some written privacy. I would still burn this letter when you're done reading however. We have been speaking about when we are to get you home. Whatever comes about, it will be very soon. When you write me back, do please elaborate if she reads your letter or messes with it. Try to seal it, or leave a mark if she reads it, whatever you can do. I cannot speak about much now, but I will soon enough. We will speak with you soon about getting you home. I love you Fareeha._

_-Your Mother_

     Fareeha expected something like this. A message about escaping. She expected it sooner, and not at all. However, now that it existed, she wasn’t sure if she really could plan an escape. Angela was still away, so she rose to her feet and headed to her room in order to have some privacy when she wrote in return.

_Mother, I am glad to hear from you. Surprisingly, The Witch has actually been very kind to me. I have learned her full name; Angela Ziegler. No, I have not told her my middle name, I am smarter than that. Angela has not treated me poorly at all since she has had me, in fact, I have been unreasonably cruel in return. She allows me to eat how much and as often as I wish and has even allowed me to roam outside. She handed the letter immediately to me and has not taken even a peek towards your letter._

     Fareeha thought absently about how truly kind Angela was. How rude of her to plot behind her back like this. But she pushed the thought out of her mind and kept writing.

_I think I may be able to escape on my own. If you release several dozen soldiers, they could disperse enough for me to stumble upon at least one, and I will be free. I know she would not look for me unless it got dark, so if we plan perfectly, we may be able to get away without encountering her at all. I await your next letter eagerly._

_-Fareeha_

     Fareeha felt just a touch bad about planning an escape behind Angela's back. She had been so kind, and she even let her wander without her. If Fareeha tried, she knew she would be able to escape on her own but, for some reason, she didn’t want to. She liked being with Angela, she enjoyed her company, and she even kept her from feeling lonely, not once had she missed her friends. Something in the back of her head whispered that perhaps she had casted a spell upon her to make her feel like that, but Fareeha didn’t believe it in the slightest.

     Letter sealed, Fareeha hid it and headed downstairs. Angela was already on the couch, looking like she was dozing off. It was very late at night, so Fareeha didn’t think about dinner.

     "Hey Angela, I have a letter for you to deliver later on when you're free." Fareeha mumbled, taking a heavy seat beside her. Angela barely stirred, making a low hum to let her know she heard and understood her.

     Fareeha chuckled, setting a hand on her shoulder and shaking the resting witch gently. "I think you should head to bed I you're going to doze off, Angela." Angela barely made a sound in response, though her eyebrows furrowed and her head nodded. It took a bit more shaking to truly rouse the witch, but with a slurred "good night" she finally went up to her room.

     Now all alone, Fareeha curled up with her book, a bit restless after the letter to go to bed just yet.


	9. Betrayal - Part 2

     The next morning came quickly, with Fareeha falling asleep on the couch, much like she told Angela not to do. Angela left early on after breakfast, but returned a small time after lunch with a wide smile on her face. She parked her broom with a flourish, obviously delighted with whatever she knew.

     "Fareeha!" Angela smiled and approached the mortal, grinning at her while she waited for Fareeha to take a break. Of course, Fareeha looked up almost immediately, setting her book to the side temporarily.

     "Yeah Angela? What is it?" Angela had never spoken to Fareeha with such an excited demeanor, like a parent who was hiding a gift from their child.

     "Would you run an errand for me please? I need some groceries." Angela gave a terribly sly smile. At first, Fareeha couldn’t understand the opportunity she had just presented, but it dawned on her like being hit on the head.

     "I- going to the market!? You're going to allow me to go to the market!?" Fareeha jumped to her feet, her eyes impossibly wide with her shock. Angela could only smile, much too pleased with her reaction.

     "Well of course! How terribly rude of me to force you to speak only to me for the rest of your life. As long as you return by dusk, I will let you go wherever you wish." Angela fell into one of the plush seats, smiling so fey-like as she watched the mortal come to terms with what she had said.

     "Of course! I would love to stretch my legs." Fareeha agreed hurriedly, she no longer had to plan an escape, she could escape right now! But still, something told her not to so much as wander past the market, to return to Angela when it grew dark, for the poor lonely woman would be upset if she didn’t.

     "I'm glad! I have a list for you," Angela dug through her pockets, pulling a short list which she unfolded. "But, I have to tell you how to get out of the forest. Would you like me to still deliver your letter? Or would you like to do that when you go out?" Angela smiled so sweetly, and something burned in Fareeha's throat, that those sweet eyes meant more than just a pale adoration. Perhaps, and the thought frightened her, a full red love. Love? No, it couldn’t have been. Not The Witch. Fareeha barely noticed she didn’t answer immediately, and had been staring with what must have been a worrisome expression, for Angela's smile faded.

     "I- yeah I can do it. So tell me how to get out, please." Fareeha sat back down and leaned forward, reaching to take the list from Angela's hand. Angela gave it up easily, still smiling like a trickster, though she had not even a hint of housing bad intentions.

     "So, you take the path all the way to the lake, but when you reach it, go all the way to the end of the lake, from there, there will be another path for you to take, and that will let you out! However," Angela warned, her smile flipping to a serious frown. "stay straight on the path. Do not wander off or down any branching paths. It goes straight and straight only. If you do not, you will become dreadfully lost. Understand it all?" Angela leaned back, her smile returning. Of course, Fareeha nodded as soon as she stopped talking, more than happy to run off. And she nearly did, almost out the door before Angela called for her to stop.

     "Fareeha darling! You can’t buy groceries without money. And, you also forgot you letter, unless you have it in your pocket already." Angela laughed, pressing a little bag of coins into her hand. "Now just don’t be late back! I'll have dinner ready for you, alright?"

     Fareeha spun on her heels, running all the way to her room to retrieve the letter, and then nearly sprinting out the door when she had everything she needed. By the time Fareeha calmed down from the adrenaline rush, she was nearly to the lake, relaxed in a gentle jog. She remembered easily what Angela had told her, and so hopped off the path to make her way around the edge of the lake. Angela said there was a path, hidden Fareeha knew, for she saw nothing until she approached the tree line, and saw the dusty path illuminate itself like a mirage.

     The path was thin but well outlined, made of dirt and rock and sand, well worn and used for being as abandoned and hidden as it was. Fareeha remembered what Angela said well, and didn’t even dare stumble into the brush and grass on accident. She stayed perfectly in the middle, walking straight and with purpose, but every now and then, she'd pass a branch-off, leading further into the woods on either side of her. It was enticing, to wonder where it led. Was this path one that many others used? Were there other witches that lived in these woods, or was it just Angela? Did The Reaper own a home here? Perhaps the Doctor and his monster when they had been chased out. It was a fun thought, to imagine that perhaps tons of mythical creatures lived in the woods. Fey, satyr, perhaps even harpies? It kept her mind busy, to imagine what their houses might look like; self made and personalized, made of the simple tools afforded by the land.

     Fareeha had almost wandered down one of the branch-offs before she caught herself, stumbling back onto the proper trail like she had been burned. She had nearly done the one thing Angela told her not to do. Fareeha felt terribly strange about the whole thing. Here she was, waltzing back into town after being gone for nearly four weeks, probably the whole town knew she had been kidnapped, and here she was. Back home. Suddenly, the forest cleared, and she was upon a large trade route, right outside of town. The tree closest to her was stripped of bark around the middle, about chest level, making it an easy-to-spot landmark for when she returned.

     Fareeha took a shaky breath, beginning to march herself into the town. Fareeha tried to keep a steely attitude, she felt too nervous to let that project outward, like she had made her way into enemy ranks and would be found out. Of course, it was quite the opposite, but still she was frightened, nervous, anxious. She piloted herself to the market, set in the middle of the town. The closer it got, the more crowded it became, bustling and busy, for it was late day and dinner was approaching just as quickly as lunch had. Fareeha finally looked over the list, going stall to stall to gather what Angela had sent her out on. At the bottom, written with a cutesy little heart, was a message directly to her; "If there is any money left over, buy yourself something! :heartemoji: ". It made Fareeha's heart swell gently, and a smile to pull at her lips. How sweet of the witch, to allow her to do so. It was strange to think about how friendly she was when she was supposed to be heartless and bloodthirsty; a fey woman who wanted nothing more than to ruin peoples lives, but with Fareeha she had been nothing but supportive and conforming to make her happy.

     "Fareeha?! Over here! Where've you been?!" The call came from a stall- a chocolatier by the brown accents and sweet smell wafting to her -Fareeha was passing, stilling in her tracks to turn and face where the voice was coming from. A cutesy little brunette was behind the counter of the stall, a smear of chocolate on her cheek that matched her sparkling eyes. She gave a quick peck on the cheek to the redhead with her, before trotting over to smack Fareeha on the back. Thank god she didn’t actually work there, or else Fareeha’s shirt would have been ruined.

     "Geez luv, you’ve been gone for nearly the whole month! Your mum hasn’t even said a peep about you till a week ago. Did you really get snatched by The Witch? What're you doing here now? We’ve been talking about rescuing you!" The girl pushed her thick goggles into her hair to view the Egyptian unaided.

     Fareeha wasn’t sure what to say, she didn’t expect to see any of her friends at all, especially not the literally fey Lena Oxton. Lena was, as previously stated, an extremely fey woman. Many people believed that under her soft face and pixie-cut hair was, well, a pixie. She was gay and excitable and full of limitless energy like she was a member of the fey (a changeling, if she was going to be rude), and if Fareeha didn’t know she lived with her girlfriend Emily, would believe that she lived in a house on one of the paths upon Angela's road.

     "I was, am. Um, Angela is letting me go run errands. Uh- Angela is The Witch. She told me her name. I can’t really stay out much longer though, it’s getting dark and Angela is making dinner." Fareeha felt weird following the rules Angela had set, but really she didn’t want to leave, she liked being with Angela, and she had most of her clothes with her. She couldn’t simply leave, she was afraid Angela would be upset by it. She felt even weirder, watching Lena's face go from confused to worried and a bit sickly.

     "Gods what'd she do to you!? Seriously?! Are you really gonna to go back to The Witch?! She kills people Fareeha! Has she been putting stuff in your drinks? You're out of your mind! Let’s head to The King, Reinhardt will protect you." Lena argued, grabbing Fareeha’s hand and tugging. Lena was beginning to make a scene with her volume.

     "No, no! Angela wouldn’t do that! She's never killed someone and you know that! Look, I don’t know what she'd do if I didn’t go back. So listen," she dug through her pockets, pulling out the letter to her mother. At this point she was starting to get very flustered, her face red and her actions shaky. "just give this to my mom, ok? I'm done shopping and I gotta get back. I'll be back sometime this week. See you around." Fareeha turned on her heel and stomped away with her groceries in hand, refusing to listen to the shoutings of Lena, as she tried to get her to come back and continue talking.

     Lena didn’t know what she was talking about, she didn’t know Angela at all! How dare she judge her like that. But, Angela was The Witch, she was known for being ruthless and harassing, but she had never harmed someone. Had she? Before Fareeha knew it, she was back in the woods and nearly to the lake, watching the sun make its way down through the tree canopy. Fareeha shuffled the items in her arms. It wasn’t all that heavy, Fareeha's military background kept her strong but still, after a while her arms began to ache and her hands began to get slippery with sweat. Fareeha, the headstrong woman she was, refused to take a break, and actually starting a light jog to get back faster.

     She returned an hour before sundown, working to set away the groceries immediately. Angela was not home, for her broom was not by the door, but the dinner table had food laid out upon it. A little voice in her head told her that she probably wasn’t home because she had been following her, but with such intense faith in Angela, she didn’t believe it. In fact, it was only after sundown did Angela return home, covered in a thin dust like she had been working with clay.


	10. War

     Fareeha did not go out again after the first day, content with reading and chatting with Angela, who had taken the day to relax, after giving herself a nasty wound with whatever tools she had been working with. With little warning, Angela stood up and walked to the front door. Fareeha was about to ask her what she was doing, when she opened the door and had a chat with whoever was outside. Fareeha at first was incredibly surprised; how did she know she had a visitor, and whoever could it be? But by listening, she found the visitor to be Genji, and with a curt goodbye, Angela shut the door and returned to her chair, but not before sliding an envelope to Fareeha.

     "How'd you know Genji was there?" Fareeha took the envelope into her hands, an eyebrow raising to show her questioning further.

     "We can talk." Angela tapped her temple and closed her eyes as she leaned back. "He received that for you. What a kind boy, right?"

     Fareeha made a soft sound in response, opening the letter with no worry for the witch in the room. Inside, of course, was a letter from her mother, curt and simple.

_ We are going to attack on the night of a half moon. The soonest one there is, we will be. If her house goes above the trees, set a candle in the window so we can find you easier. Our soldiers have been tracking The Witch, and have a good idea of which direction she takes to go home, it shouldn’t be more than a few hours from sunset to arrive upon her house. When we arrive, stay as far away from the house as possible. We know better than to attack you, and we plan to kill The Witch inside of her house if we can reach it. If not, perhaps you can get to us before the battle even begins. Good luck Fareeha, I love you. _

_ -Your Mother _

     Fareeha felt sickly. She needed to turn her mother away from such a thought or warn Angela. Of course, she knew better than to tell Angela that literally two of the three letters she has sent were to plot her escape, and feared that Angela would do something frightful, drastic. Her mother, however, would not listen to her if she tried to turn her away from an attack, to say she could get out and about just fine. She would believe Fareeha was lying, that Angela had forced her to write such, that Angela had taken over her mind and was using her as an errand girl. Lena would believe that one. So she sat on it. She would take a look at the moon and speak after that.

\---------

     The night had come swifter than Fareeha expected. Within only a handful of days did it arrive, and Angela recognized how anxious Fareeha grew. _Poor Angela,_ Fareeha thought, _she doesn’t know what will befall her_. Seeing just how terribly worried Fareeha was, Angela stood, and asked if it would relax her if she looked about her property, like a mother would check in the closet and under the bed for monsters.

     "I- yes actually. I have been hearing wolves lately, and it is making me nervous." Fareeha lied. If she could get Angela away from the house, perhaps Fareeha could escape and stop the attack entirely. They may still burn down her home, but Angela would be safe.

     With a pat on the head and a pitying smile, Angela told that she would step out of the house for a small time, then return before bedtime. Fareeha watched as the moon rose higher and the sun set lower, and told her to take her time. With a little wave, Angela left the house and was gone. Fareeha didn’t want to step out and try to run just yet, just in fact Angela was doing circles above her house and would see her. She let two minutes pass, then four, then ten, before she slunk her way out of the house. She looked about suspiciously, afraid that at any turn she would run into Angela.

     She barely made it a few steps before she saw Angela rush towards her and the house from the road. Caught, Fareeha waved gently, trying to act as if she was just enjoying the night air. Angela on the other hand almost smashed into her own house, throwing herself off the broom to grab Fareeha and drag her inside. Something was Wrong.

     "Fareeha! They’ve found us! Oh Gods-!" Angela was panicking, downright panicking. Her skin was cold and clammy, and the way she clutched to Fareeha imitated the way a terrified child would cling to their mother. She practically threw Fareeha to the side, pacing about the house to check it, look for holes, weapons, anything she had on hand.

     With little warning, shots rung out, bird shot or some other sort of spray hit the windows with light clinking, the actual shots ringing out muffled from being far away and through the walls of the house. Angela jumped and from her throat came a bestial sound like a wolf defending its territory.

     "Gods not now! Not yet!" Angela growled, twisting and turning about where she stood. Fareeha had never seen her so strung out like this, hair wiry and falling out of place. Her chest swelled and sunk and her eyes were inflamed with fury and strangely fear. Without even a word, the creature Fareeha knew as The Reaper appeared in a burst of thick black smoke, seemingly summoned just by the fury Angela was emitting.

     "They're here!!" Angela roared, her hair balled in her fists pressed into the sides of her head. Fareeha stepped away, actually frightened by The Witch. She looked like an enraged beast, heaving and huffing and gripping at anything she could.

     "Reaper! Cut them down! Do not let them get to the house!" She swung her hand to the side, teeth still bared. The Reaper disappeared out the front door in another burst of swirling smoke, smart enough not to argue with her.

     Just like The reaper, Genji arrived in a burst of white smoke, dressed in a nice suit of armor, but looking terribly confused.

     "Genji! Join him! Do everything you can to keep them away from entering! If you fail, I will gut you!" The Witch was truly losing it, exhausting every ally she had. Genji ran out without a word, obviously terrified. 

     "Fareeha, I need you." She stepped forward, knuckles white from how hard she was balling her fists up. Frightened, Fareeha stepped further away, she hadn't done anything, she was innocent, but The Witch looked ready to turn on her and do something terrible.

     "I need you Fareeha, I need your body. Give me full control, or I will take it from you." The Witch growled, eyes slit and unfocused, as if she was seeing into another world. Fareeha had no idea what she meant. Certainly it wasn't sexual but still, it felt wrong and invasive.

     "I- w-what do you mean? N-no!" Fareeha defended, trying to be strong, but The Witch's pure fury was starting to overwhelm her.

     "I'm going to possess you. Let me do it or I'll force it upon you and that'll hurt, Fareeha. Give in to me and you won’t receive a scratch, understand?" Fareeha could barely nod, so absolutely afraid.

     Fareeha knew she didn’t have a choice, so she just nodded. Of course she still afraid to give up control, but she would try to do whatever The Witch said to keep her relaxed.

     Angela nearly tore the book from her hip, tearing through it like a starving man searching for water. She finally landed on the page she was looking for, nearly tearing it from the book in her haste.

     "Fareeha, I want you to give in to whatever you will feel. You know I will not harm you, so lower your defenses entirely." Angela's eyes did not rise to look at her, scanning the page to find what she was looking for. Fareeha couldn’t even bear to speak, nodding her head rapidly, but somehow The Witch understood.

     Suddenly, she stood straight, her eyes focused upon the page. Her hand came to rest upon Fareeha's forehead, her palm resting upon the bridge of her nose. Her eyes instinctively closed, uncomfortable with the closeness, but refused to pull away.

     Her eyes still on the paper, Angela began to speak. "Tradite corporis ut operatur pro me… Fareeha, tradite corporis." She willed. Fareeha lost her balance and fell backwards, sucking in a breath and throwing her hands behind her to catch herself, but the floor never came. Fareeha felt like she was floating, and peeked open an eye to find that her body was indeed floating and she no longer had control of any of her limbs. She felt as if she was submerged in water, she could will her limbs to move, but nothing happened. She was no longer piloting her body.

     Angela stepped back again, flipping through the book once more. "Now I am going to allow you to fight, this will protect you and allow you to do battle."

     Angela took a deep breath and began to recite her new spell, hands brushing over Fareeha's frozen body. "Dabo tibi praesidium nam quamdiu pugna. Fortuna et benedicat vobis."

     Purple armor appeared in the corners of Fareeha's vision, thick and large, meant to protect her and protect her well. Finally, a helmet materialized, the beak-like visor sliding over her eyes and stopping right before her nose. She could feel the weight of something akin to wings upon her back, hanging and heavy, but sturdy all the same. Her hands pulled up to her belly, allowing Fareeha to barely see the rocket launcher materialize in her hands.

     "Fareeha, stay here and protect the house!" Angela disappeared in a searing ball of light. Fareeha could've sworn that she saw fire in the middle, hell was truly going to be unleashed tonight. Without control of her body, she hurried outside and launched into the sky, her body acting upon its own accord. She could do nothing more than sit back and watch as she piloted the flight armor and fired into the crowds and felled her own teammates. It felt disgusting, morbid, but she could do little more than stiffen her body and falter the trigger for a few seconds. She saw on the front lines The King, and beside him her own mother, felling beasts conjured from black portals that reared itself with little thought, as if the earth was splitting and spitting up the contents of hell itself. When Fareeha's body looked behind itself, she finally spotted The Witch, casting the portals before her with angry chanting. Two men stood beside her; the old mad doctor Junkenstine, and his monster. With a roar, the monster charged into the crowds, knocking down anything in its path. Dr. Junkenstine unleashed wave after wave of mechanical monsters, casting crowds of beasts that distracted and weakened the knights around her. Below her, Fareeha could hear her mother fire shots into the crowds, and occasionally into the sky. 

     With no warning at all, Fareeha's body began to tumble. A perfect shot had knocked out one of her wings, and she was sent spiraling to the ground. She crashed in the woods, groaning and dizzy. She still had little control, for her body got up and began to move without her input, moving to continue its onslaught from below even though her head swam and her eyes were blurry. Before she was able to break from the trees, her body froze. The form of her mother, hunched, furious, and still clutching her rifle, aimed its sights upon her. Her body acted without reason and raised its rocket launcher, intent on killing the both of them if need be. Even as her mother aimed, her hands shook, knowing she could not truly shoot her daughter. Fareeha willed her foolish body to lower the gun, her possessed eyes staring at her mother.

     "Gods, is this what she has been doing to you?" She heard her mother whisper, lowering her gun to see her with her own eye.

     "M-mom… go. Ret-reat. Please. All of you." She begged, trying to force the words out around her gritted teeth. Her lips wavered and slurred, not meant to be used when she was like this. Her mother stared, surprised her daughter could even muster enough control to speak. But she trusted her daughter and the urgency in her voice and ran back to The King. With a single cry, the army retreated, chased away by the beasts that remained. 

     Fareeha relinquished hold of her body again, sitting back and letting it return itself to the house and The Witch's side. Angela was on the ground, she noticed immediately, shaking like she was drug sick. She was pale and sweating and she could feel the drop in temperature in the air as she got closer. Without even a warning, her control returned, the armor faded into the air, and the beasts that remained around them crumbled back into the earth. The Reaper was gone. As was Dr. Junkenstine and his monster, but Genji had appeared, beaten and battered, but still very much alive.

     "Angela…?" Fareeha whispered, getting down on one knee to check upon The Witch. She had her arms wrapped around herself, shaking so roughly she thought she was having a seizure. Genji seemed to have no idea what was happening either, and could do little more than rub her back and pull her into his chest.  Fareeha moved to her front, taking her face in her hands. Pulling her up to see her, The Witch was little more than a corpse of her former self, hair wilted and white, her face sunken with deep tract lines from the imperfections of aging. She looked like she had aged 50 years during the attack, and felt as brittle as someone who was a thousand years old.

     "Inside… please." Was all she could croak, tired pale eyes sliding shut as she continued to convulse. Fareeha acted before Genji could and scooped her up and hauled her in, laying her body upon the couch.

     "Angela how else can we help?" Genji asked, setting a blanket over her shivering body.

     "In… my room. A fat bottle… golden… bring it to me…" She hissed when she could control her shaking. Without thought Fareeha raced up the steps, climbing all the way to the fourth floor and dashing into the room. The room was messy, obviously not meant to have guests inside, but Fareeha couldn’t care less. During her furious search, she found exactly four bottles that matched the description Angela gave, tucking them all into her arms like they were precious scrolls, and sprinting back down the stairs. She practically slid to her knees before Angela, pressing them into her withered hands. She pushed away two, before accepting the third, barely strong enough to pull out the cork and down the bottle with rattling bones. With the vial empty, still she shook, scaring Fareeha to death. What if it didn’t work fast enough? Was there anything else she could do? Would it work at all? But slowly, Angela's feverish shaking slowed and stopped, color returning, but not her youth.

     "Gonna be weak… for a few days…. Thank you Fareeha, Genji. Just… let me rest now…" Was all she said, melting into the cushions with her brow furrowed and hands clasped. Her eyes closed, and that was it, she moved not again. Fareeha stepped back, knowing that Death had given up, though it left Angela weak and brittle. A tough fight, but a fight she had won. Genji still seemed shocked, he didn’t know that she even could be harmed such. That the energy she put into defending and attacking had drained her magic, and her life energy as well.

     Angela had never looked so weak before. Fareeha didn’t even know she could look so weak. A wicked little voice whispered in the back of her head that she could kill her so easily. Kill her and she would be free. She could take a knife from her knife drawer and end it now. She knew where the weapons were, the foolish witch had trusted her with such information. But even just imagining doing so made Fareeha sick to her stomach and feel sinful. She couldn’t think of a single reason why she should spare her, but truly, she liked Angela, she had come to enjoy her company, to enjoy her. She couldn’t kill her. She couldn’t kill The Witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angela's Possession Spell Translation: Give up your body and work for me, give me your body.  
> Angela's Armor and Protection Spell Translation: I will give you protection for the long fight. Fortune will bless you


	11. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ! WARNING !  
>  This chapter contains a scene where Fareeha is being drowned. If you know that that will upset you, then skip this chapter, you won't miss anything. By the way, this chapter shares the same story as a song from the game The Yawgh. Specifically "Oceans". I had the gist of the chapter figured out long before I heard of the song, but I enjoyed the song so much, I tailored it to fit. I suggest listening to it when you read, then you will probably get the feeling I was trying to portray in this chapter. Enjoy!

     Fareeha awoke somewhere she did not recognize, a room she had no memory of. Fareeha felt terribly queer, a sickening churning in her belly like a snake of dread. It slid and curled around her ribs, squeezing her like a terrible anxious beast. In the darkness, Fareeha stumbled to her feet, her hands finding the wall to give her a sense of where everything was. She made her way around the room, feeling the walls and floor and corners for something- anything at all. Finally, she found a door, a door only, upon the wall opposite from where she has awoken. She made the rest of the trip, setting herself back where she first was.

     Time felt nonexistent. A law or rule that no longer applied in her world. All that existed was the room, the darkness, and her. Fareeha grew worried and lonely, where was Angela? Where was she and why wasn’t Angela with her? Did something happen, and why did she sleep through it? She doubted she did this, she had no reason to believe such a terrible thing, right? Before her mind went mad with her thoughts, she heard something, something quiet, on the whisperings of existence.

     She heard footsteps, faint at first, almost from her imagination, but they grew louder and louder, echoing from the door. Someone was approaching it.

     "Fareeha! You're awake!" The door opened, and in the blinding light stood Angela. There she was! Her Angela, here to save her at last. But before Fareeha could stand again the snake tightened, and whispered to her to run. Something was wrong, something was different about Angela.

     "Fareeha dear, why are you looking at me like that?" Angela laughed, sickeningly sweet, with a whispering layer of some sort of venom. Angela wore her leotard, the black material covering her form, and adding silver to her shape like some sort of obsidian statue. "Is this because I'm punishing you? Are you scared, Fareeha?

     "Fareeha, do you know what you did wrong, Fareeha? Do you know what you did wrong?" She seemed to taunt, drawing closer. The more she approached, the easier it became to see her face, and the more fear that filled Fareeha's chest. This Angela was not hers. It was some sort of demon, a devil, a beast set out to harm her. But, still it looked like Angela, and it's blue eyes stared, and her smile stretched ever wider.

     The snake did not quiet down, and when she finally could no longer stand it, and felt that Angela was far too close, she bolted for the door. She did not make it far at all. When she passed Angela, her legs were swept out from under her, throwing her forward and headlong into the wall beside the door. Dazed and ears ringing, Fareeha crumpled to the ground to recuperate. Angela's laughter started then, making fun of the poor woman on her knees. Step by step, Angela approached her again, footsteps echoing like a bell in the room. When the footsteps were too loud and only made her head ring louder did Angela stop, standing over the woman like a hawk over a mouse.

     "Enough of that, Fareeha. Give up now." Around her, against Fareeha's control, the world went dark and she lost consciousness once more.

     Just as quickly as the light fled, did the darkness succumb as well. Fareeha, still frightened from her dream, leapt forward in her bed. Her bed. Not some cold stone room unknown to the world. It was her room, she was home, she was with Angela. The snake in her belly was still there however, and its churning set her on her feet. Anxiousness spurring her feet, she made her way down the stairs, still in her pajamas.

     Fareeha spilled into the first floor, hurrying down the stairs a bit too fast so she skidded to a stop. The shutters were closed on the windows, keeping out the heat of the sun, a tactic her mother had taught her over the years. What month was it? How long had she been with Angela for it to become summer? Fareeha's head swam from the lingering wisps of the dream like she had drunk too much.

     Angela was in the kitchen, working away happily. Her hair was down to tumble around her shoulders and fall down her back. She wore black shorts and a thin flowing pale top, lounge clothes, but still good enough to step out in. Fareeha still did not feel safe, however, and something cried at her to run while she still could.

     "Uh, Angela? I- I wanna go home. Alright?"

     "Go home? Oh Fareeha you shouldn’t, not now at least! The sun is too bright out, wait for another day." Angela smiled oh so sweetly, pulling away from her work to go to Fareeha's side.

     "I'd just feel better if I could step out, walk around some. I- I'm gonna do it anyway, I need some air." Fareeha tried to push past Angela, but suddenly she had shoved Fareeha to the couch, pinning her to the cushions.

     "Angela!" Fareeha snapped, setting her hands on her shoulders to push, but no matter what she did Angela didn’t move. She should have listened to the feeling in her gut and the voice in her head for the Angela above her was not hers. It was something else, something bloodthirsty and evil.

     Angela, The Witch, was above her, pinning her to the cushions with her weight on her chest and a hand around her neck, not choking, but certainly pinning, face as furious as it was the night before. Night before? When they had the battle. How long had it been since then? It felt like it was both an hour and months ago.

     "You're not leaving!" Angela shouted, teeth bared and eyes squinted to furious slits. Fareeha looking into those eyes, clouded by a fury, and saw something that Angela never had. A suffocating red had taken over, turning the blues into a spiral of red and purple. Fareeha set her hands on Angela's thighs, planning on shoving her off with the pressure placement, but she had leapt to her feet anyway.

     "Get up! You want to go out, we'll go out then." She was inconsolable, absolutely insane with her fury. When Fareeha didn’t get up fast enough, she grabbed her by her hands and wrenched her to the front door.

     "What are you doing?!" Fareeha hissed and shielded her eyes when they stepped out. When she could see again, they were at the lake. Already? What had happened? What was happening?

     "Oh I'll show you, Fareeha. I've got a little plan for you." God, this was not Angela, that didn’t sound like Angela, someone else was here, piloting her like- like-

     Like she had, during the battle.

     Angela drug her to the lake's edge, grabbing her again by the neck to force her head up. "You think you can just leave, huh!? Fine, I don’t want you anymore anyway." Angela pulled, offsetting Fareeha's balance, and she ended up face first into the water. Fareeha fought against the current which swept out her hands, and fought with the sand and rocks to push her head out. Angela moved to her back, setting her knees upon her. It was enough to offset her balance again, and her arms buckled, shoving her face into the sand.

     Gods, gods no this was bad. Fareeha struggled, watching precious air escape her lips, as her lungs burned for what Angela was keeping from her. She needed out, she needed to escape now. Angela's hand went to the back of her head, and she instinctively sucked in the water around her. She shook, her face burning, her arms burning, her lungs burning, but Angela would not give her mercy.

     Angela, the woman who had been so kind, would not give her Mercy now.

     Fareeha clawed at the sand and tried to reach behind her, get Angela off of her, but her strength failed her. Nothing she did awarded her air, and her frightened lungs swelled and filled further with water. As much as she struggled and fought, Fareeha eventually succumbed to the darkness that had begun to ebb in the corners of her vision. The world went dark much too suddenly, and all Fareeha could feel was her heartbeat flutter and stop as she lost consciousness.


	12. Going Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found out the page publication date doesnt mean jack and doesnt line up with the true date of publication like it should, so for a long time it said I updated last on the 3rd of august which is wrong as all heck. However its fixed now, and I should be able to keep up with it and make sure its correct for the future. Or maybe not. We'll see. Theres some dates I didnt fix because I dont remember when I published them, but that doesnt matter really. Also!! Since this is the last friday of the month, im out of queued pages! So im going to take a small hiatus whoch sould last a month tops, then updates will return to once every other week or so.

     Fareeha seized when consciousness returned to her, falling out of bed with her fear as she scrambled to find purchase and safety. She was not at the lake, not in the dark room, she was in her own room, bathed in the early morning light. She was wet, Fareeha realized. But not with lake water, not from being drowned, she had been sweating in her sleep, soaking her pajamas with what was obviously her fear and anxiety. She rubbed at her neck, her chest, her wrists, her knees. Nothing was sore, the snake had left, but she was still scared. Was it really all a dream? It was supposed to be a dream the first time she awoke, yet Angela had still harmed her the second time as well. Fareeha instinctively pinched herself, watching the room to see if it changed at all. When the world stayed as it was, she was careful this time, slow, taking her time to sneak out of her room and down the stairs. The house was terribly quiet, so Angela must not have been awake. Still, Fareeha was careful, making her way to the living room.

     Just like Fareeha had left her last night, Angela was asleep on the couch. The poor woman was dwarfed by the blanket covering her, so pitiful under the thick fabric. As much as she didn’t really want to, Fareeha approached and gently shook the poor woman awake.

     "Angela? Angela, I'm sorry, I need to wake you up." Fareeha mumbled, trying not to be too loud since they were both just asleep.

     Angela made a soft sound, lifting her head to stare at the larger woman, eyes barely open due to the sleep that clung to her. She had healed significantly, her skin less wrinkled, and glowing with a strange sort of life, one that had completely disappeared the night prior. "Mmn, yeah?" She groaned, eyes almost immediately sliding closed after looking at her.

     "Angela, am I allowed to Leave?" Fareeha added weight to the last word, testing to see if this Angela was really hers.

     "What? Yes of course, you may go anywhere your heart desires, you have the knowledge of how to leave my forest." Angela dropped her head back on the arm of the couch, finding her duty done.

     Will steeled, Fareeha spun on her heel and fled without even a goodbye.

     Gods. How terrible, how awful, how absolutely suffocating. Fareeha trusted Angela, yes, but she didn’t trust her dreams not to become a reality. She had seen Angela at her most vicious, bloodthirsty and ruthless, both in her dreams and in real life, and knew well that at any moment that fury could be directed at her.

     But at the same time, she had seen Angela as the true opposite; terribly weak, literally steps from death, and before then, kind and sweet, an angel. Before Fareeha knew it, she was in the marketplace, disoriented until she located the chocolatier stall once more. She needed to speak to Lena, she needed to get this out to someone, and she had no idea where Genji was nor how to speak with him. Just like last time, Lena was working with her girlfriend, although this time she was blessedly clean. The woman had a bad habit of trying to help her girlfriend, but ended up messy instead. And Just like last time, Lena started the conversation first, quickly flagging down the woman like she was about to be hit by a train.

     "Hey Lena!" Fareeha trotted over, just a touch anxious, visibly at least. Lena looked like she was looking at a dead man, staring at her so pale and wide-eyed Fareeha feared she still looked possessed.

     "Gods luv, your mum told us the whole thing! Did you have any say over getting possessed!? Gods, and she still let you out so soon!" Lena was nearly losing it, looking all over Fareeha's body for signs of misuse. Fareeha was quick to stamp her down, setting her hands on her shoulders to steady her.

     "I'm fine Lena! Really. I didn’t _really_ agree to it, but I didn’t fight her either. I'm just fine. A little shaken up, but just fine. I- I really need someone to talk to about it though." Fareeha frowned, not meaning to sound so upset about, but she couldn’t take it back now.

     "Well, let's walk to your house! You need to talk to your mum about this. I told her you were able to get out, but she didn’t understand why you didn’t go straight to her. Neither do I, by the way!" Lena said quick goodbyes to her girlfriend, leading their journey but letting Fareeha decide their walking speed.

     "Did you take part in the fight? It was… really scary. Angela was really scary. She was terrified the whole time. So fucking scared that we were going to kill her! And, at the end, she was completely dead. If Reinhardt and my mom didn’t retreat, I don’t think Angela would've made it." Fareeha was rambling now, she knew it, but she needed to get it all out.

     "Wait, what do you mean? Like, she was just exhausted afterwards? Is that how you escaped today?" Lena was quick to ask questions, soaking up everything Fareeha told her.

     "I- no, I just left. I don’t need her to tell me if I can leave or not. She's not my mother! But, she was like a living corpse, she looked like she had the life sucked out of her. Nearly at least. She was so… vulnerable. So weak. Like, I could've killed her so easily. But- I still couldn’t do that! I didn’t want to, Angela has been so nice to me. And- and then last night, all I could dream about was her just- doing awful stuff to me. But when I walked downstairs, she was still curled up on the couch, all sick looking. I had to get out today, I would've gone crazy otherwise." Fareeha dug a hand into her hair, pushing it back. Lena just listened quietly, a strange look in her eyes.

     "So… She's unprotected now?"

     "Ye- Lena! Holy shit! I don’t want Angela dead! I like her! You're not going to tell anyone this! No one is gonna go and mess with her, alright!?"

     "You like her? What do you mean by "Like her"?" Lena accused, pushing a bit closer to Fareeha.

     "I enjoy her company! I like being around her! She's a relaxed person! Good to talk to, good at making food, I lo-" Fareeha choked, going stiff and still. Oh fuck. She almost said it. She almost admitted it. But to was too late, Lena understood, Fareeha understood, she knew what she meant, and knew what she felt, and now she had to deal with it.

     "You fell in love with The Witch, Fareeha." Lena spoke softly, a strange look in her eyes. It was not anger, not surprise, not even accusation. It was just a strange sort of understanding, an easy statement. Fareeha on the other hand looked like a ghost, pale and sweating, with a fear in her eyes akin to a man looking down the barrel of a gun.

     "I-I'm _not_ in- I couldn’t be! With- with The _Witch_!? No. Preposterous. If- if _anything_ , it's Stockholm Syndrome. And I wouldn't develop that. Besides, she's not keeping me there, I can leave whenever I want. The Witch doesn't control me." But the more she spoke, the more Fareeha couldn’t convince herself. Lena stood beside her, arms crossed and a look of disapproving disappointment on her face. She was not convincing her either, it seems.

     "I don't think so, Fareeha. Victims of a kidnapping aren't allowed to roam freely, no matter how much they love their captor, they are never trusted like that. They're mistreated, all communication with others cut off. Yet you're here, allowed to speak to me. So what keeps you with her, Fareeha? Other than love? We know the contract she and Reinhardt made, you could leave her now, hide in the castle and she could do nothing about it. So why don't you Fareeha?" Lena's voice was soft, a gentle hush, a tone that skillfully manipulated Fareeha's emotions so no matter how angry she was, she knew she'd look crazy if she yelled, so she stayed quiet as well.

     "I don't _know_ Lena. I- I don't want to be in love with The Witch. That's fucking _terrifying_ Lena. She's The Witch! I can't live the rest of my life like this! But maybe she'll let me off or- or something and I'll…" She spiraled, head spinning as she tried to think ahead, but now there was nothing. She had nothing more to say. Lena gave her no relief from her own short-sightedness, drowning the both of them in silence as they made their way to Fareeha's home.

     "I just- I don't know Lena. I am not equipped to deal with something like this. I know how to survive torture, but this is nothing like what I've trained for. This is all emotion, I don't know how to deal with that. I've never… loved somebody, not like this at least." Fareeha pushed a hand through her hair, picking up her pace to get home quicker. Lena struggled a bit to keep up, being as short as she was.

     "Well, stewing in it isn't gonna fix it. Talking is doing you good and you know it, so just think and talk." If Lena had another supportive look on her face, Fareeha couldn't see it. She just wanted to go home and sleep in her bed and wake up like this was all a nightmare.

     A quick turn dropped the two upon the front of Fareeha's house. It was a small thing, single-storied, with a nice kitchen and a living room Fareeha could recall thousands of memories in. The front patio was packed with mismatched chairs and wicker couches, things bought that aged but were never thrown away, replaced with more furniture that did the same thing. For as much a mess as the patio was the house was well kept, painted a dusty clay brown with a pearly white trim. Fareeha walked up to the door and stuffed a hand in her pockets to fish for her keys. Her eyes flashed to the window built into the front of the door and she froze, her whole body going stiff.

      "Damnit!" Fareeha lashed out, sending a fist into a support column and rattling the roof. Lean shrunk back, holding her tongue from reprimanding her for the childish action. She had been through enough today, she didn't need to be yelled at more. 

     "We moved out! Fuck!!" She gripped her hair and growled, pulling on her braids and beads and pacing an angry circle. "Fuck me! Damnit!"

      Lena groaned softly and began to back up. "Let's head for the castle then..."

      Fareeha cooled down quickly after they started off again, and with the fear of another outlash, they had hurried and made it there in record time. Fareeha felt awful walking in through the gate of the castle, feeling like she was breaking some unspoken rule. She could leave at any time, she knew, but still she felt wrong for stepping back into the gates of the castle, cut off and offending Angela.

     The castle, as it always had, towered high in the sky. The stone structure was made of soft off-white polished stone, the kind used for churches and the houses of the modestly wealthy. The front door was large and gate-like, with a smaller door built into it so it didn’t need to be lifted every time someone wished to enter. A modest yet lush garden sat upon either side of the trail to the front door, full of simple hedges and large bushes of flowers. Many flower bushes had been cleaned of their flowers, for The King regularly decorated his castle with them, as well as gave them away. Two knights who stood at the front door jolted, rushing forward to the pair with an urgency laid from fear.

     "Fareeha!" One pushed his wolf-head helmet up. He was a young man who was in the same branch as Fareeha was, a man who looked up to her for she was his captain for a long time. Until she was kidnapped, of course.

     "Sanjay!" Fareeha held out her arms, letting the knight half crash into her.

     "Your mom and The King is inside right now!" Sanjay began, already jumping to the point. "You'll probably catch them in the throne room. You really need to speak with her, she hasn’t been well without you here."

     "What do you mean? What has been wrong?" Lena started up.

     Sanjay shrugged, looking sheepish and a bit embarrassed. "She's just been sad. She misses you. She kinda lost it after the battle. Your possession really messed her up, you need to speak to her as quickly as possible."

     Fareeha looked to Lena, who had begun to trot to the door. "Thank you Sanjay, I'll talk to you later." And ran off to join Lena. They pushed their way past the front door, hurrying down the long open halls to the throne room.

     "Umi!" Fareeha began to call, shifting from a trot into a light jog then into a run, bursting through the doors of throne room. Before them, sitting on the floor, were the two elders. Reinhardt was laughing heartedly at an open book on the floor, while Ana sat across from him, laughing softly as well. When Fareeha burst into the room, Lena in tow, their attention was pulled away and to her. Like a bat out of hell, Ana jumped to her feet and sprinted to her daughter to crush her in a hug, dragging her down to the ground.

     "Tafali! Oh, my Gods, you're safe!! How are you here!? Is The Witch dead?" Ana held her close, squeezing the life out of Fareeha. Not to say Fareeha didn’t squeeze back just as hard. Fareeha assessed her questions. She hadn't really thought about what she would tell her mother when she saw her.

     "There is so much to talk about umi. The Witch is completely different than we thought she was like." She shakes her head, eyes rolling up with thought. "After the battle, I knew I had to tell you everything. The Witch didn’t possess me. At- at least not without my consent. She asked and I let her. She was scared, I got scared. You don’t know how terrified she was when she was you approach."

     Fareeha reaches up and rubs her face, recalling that frightening night and the subsequent fallout. Was that really yesterday? "The Witch, she isn't as harmful as I thought she would be. She lets me eat, she lets me leave whenever I wish, she trusts me way too much to have taken me to harm me. I mean, I walked here on my own fruition! She even said to me before I left that I could do whatever I wished. I don't think she's as evil as we believe she is. She's so sweet to me, so kind. She gets sad when I'm unhappy with her. She doesn’t act like she has me to make me suffer. In- in fact, I…" Realization dawned on her, swelling in her eyes as they widened and her jaw dropped. The Witch might be in love with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie dokie, thats it for the October updates! Im going to need a loooong break after all this, but keep in mind that chapter 13 is nearly done. I want to get ahead before i start posting again. I hope you enjoyed how the story has been!!


	13. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooho boy!!!!! Welcome back to this y'all! Boy this is going to be a good chapter, thank you guys so much for waiting!! I want to thank you guys for adding comments, it really spurred me on to keep going, especially when I ran into issues. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I have another queued up as of writing this. If you want to see more, please tell me! Comments really help keep me going. Love you guys!! I do have a ton more to say, but I'm going to save it for the end. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read my notes at the end so you're up to date on what I have planned for next.

     "Fareeha?" Ana spoke softly, waving her hand in front of her daughter's awe-struck face. When Fareeha didn’t respond, she whipped her head to Reinhardt who was slowly approaching the little group. "This is the work of the witch! Of course she would curse my daughter, I can't think of anything less hellish she would do to protect her own hide. That- that vulture!"   
  
     Fareeha released herself from her trance with a gasp, whipping her head to stare at Lena before returning her gaze to her mother. "No, no! That wasn't Angela! I just realized something-" She stands, instantly seeking Lena again before realizing her strange behavior and returning to Ana and now Reinhardt again.   
  
     "I don't think we need to worry about The Witch anymore, mom. I think I can convince her to let me go. I just wanted you to know I was safe." Fareeha holds her mother's hands, eyes a bit far with thought.   
  
     "Why do you have to go back to her at all? Why can't you just stay here Fareeha? You're safe inside the castle, The Witch will give up some day." Ana stares, pleadingly, not wanting to lose her daughter so soon after getting her back.    
  
     "Umi I can come back whenever I want! I just fear what a Angela will do if I don't return." Fareeha argues. She understands where her mom is coming from, she's walking back into the waiting jaws of a lion, but it would be worse if she didn't at the same time. Angela is powerful, and she has nothing left to lose.    
  
     "Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl, umi. I know I can convince Angela. I should be going back now, she might be needing me. I love you umi." Fareeha pulls her mother into a tight warm hug, reassuring and loving. Ana relaxes almost immediately, wishing to argue more, but finding it would be useless. Fareeha is a headstrong woman, she would do as she pleased no matter what, so she needed to let her go, no matter how much it pained her.   
  
     "Alright Fareeha, but stay safe. Our doors are open, we will always help you if you need it. I love you habibti." Slowly they let go of each other and Fareeha backed up to head to the door.   
  
     "I will umi, I love you too!" Fareeha waves and leaves, followed on her heels by Lena.    
  
     Fareeha spent the better part of her trip home left in thought. Even Lena seemed to realize it wasn't worth bothering her. When they parted ways, Fareeha barely gave a passing comment. Her legs carried her home, having well memorized the way. It was only upon arriving close to the house that Fareeha was freed from her running thoughts.

     Fareeha closed the front door behind her as quietly as she could, blessing the hinges for being silent. Angela was still curled up on the couch, fast asleep, chest rising and falling with even breaths. She had gotten up some time while Fareeha was gone, for a book was propped up against the couch and a nearly-empty cup of tea was on the floor. Fareeha took a seat in one of the opposite chairs, grabbing a book from the coffee table and digging in. There wasn't much for to do with Angela unconscious and ill. Fareeha had so much to ask her, so much to talk to her about. However, Fareeha was unsure how her sudden interrogation would affect her. There was no reason why it wouldn't stress her out and cause some kind of damage. No, she would just have to wait.   
  
     And wait she did. It was when the sun nipped at the treetops did Angela finally rouse from sleep. She groaned inelegantly, rolling over with a huff and a whine. Her head rolled to the side and upon spotting Fareeha, a smile bloomed on her face.   
  
     "Good… afternoon Fareeha. When did you get home?" She pipes under her little mountain of blankets, voice hoarse and just a touch rubbed quiet. Her natural glow had returned in full force, like a small sun under her skin, shining bright now that she was awake. Of course, she still looked well exhausted, but upon sitting up, Fareeha could tell she had much more energy than before.   
  
     "A while ago. You look like you're recovering quickly. What- what actually happened yesterday?" Fareeha starts, setting her book to the side and sitting forward.   
  
     Angela sighs and rubs her eyes, a frown pulling at her lips. "A lot. I assume you want to know about the possession? Or how I became so drained? Uhm… well, for starters, you were completely safe, Fareeha. I should've explained what the spell would do; it was strictly to relinquish hold and instill a spirit of protection, no demons came into play. There was no way you would've come to harm, hat armor would've protected from anything and everything. The drain was from maintaining it, as well as summoning The Doctor and his Monster and the beings of tar. I… overexerted myself, and I started using my life force when my magic ran thin. Luckily as my magic returns, as does my youth! Don't worry Fareeha, I will be pretty again in a day." She jokes lightly, her smile returning. Yet, her eyes fall again, as does her smile. "I… if I ended up having to flee, I had planned to break the spell and allow you to go back. I expected them to burn down my house as soon as possible, and since they know how to get here, it would've been unwise to return if they hadn't. I… don't really have any other failsafes." She sinks into the couch, idly rubbing at an eye and looking away. Fareeha watches her carefully, juggling her thoughts.   
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     "I had asked this once before Angela, but now I need the answer; why did you take me, and why do you still have me?"   
  
     Angela pauses mid rub, going a touch paler than she already was. She stares Fareeha down, searching for something in her eyes. "You… it is complicated. Are you sure you want to know?"     
  
     Fareeha gave no verbal answer, only nodded once.   
  
     With no other choice, Angela caved. "It- it started as revenge, I won't lie. I was angry at your mother for shooting me, so I was going to punish her through you. I-I hadn't really thought it through all the way, but I was going to take you, and just… go from there. But now I've scrapped that whole plan. I spent time shadowing you, learning when you were alone so I could steal you, but I… enjoy your company. I found myself wanting to spend time with you, and I want you to spend time with me. I-I still have you because I… I really like you, and I don’t want you to drift away from me.    
  
     "People wont be happy with you if they learn you're willingly friends with me, and Wilhelm wouldn't let me go without punishment for all that I've done. Not that I want to be taken back, that town can burn for all I care. They have never respected me, never appreciated me, I don't care about that town or it's people. All I want is you now, and then I'm happy." Angela finishes, looking just a touch better than before, as if such a secret weighed her down, and now with it gone, she was healthier, happier than before.   
  
     Fareeha however was none too happy with the answer. The Witch had been alone for so very long, even with Genji and The Reaper in her grasp, it made no sense to keep her.   
  
     "It is more than that." She states, the faintest hint of warning in her voice. "You can let me go and we can lie about the agreement. I like being around you too, but there's no reason to keep me here."   
  
     Angela pales, her eyes stretching a bit wider. Fareeha can see it upon her face, the fear of being Caught, and caught she was.    
  
     "That… is true, Fareeha. I just… haven't been thinking. I told you, I planned on killing you, not keeping you around, I cannot think of the best course of action, can you? I cannot go back into town without being assaulted and harassed. You're the only thing allowing me peace nowadays."   
  
     "Oh, so I'm just a pawn?" Fareeha warns, verbal daggers at the ready.    
  
     "No!! Not at all Fareeha! It is a bonus at most. If anything, now I am dependent on you. Is that what you wanted to hear? I no longer want you, I need you."   
  
     "Angela, you are avoiding a fundamental issue, I feel. You still took me. You have other people to keep from being lonely, so why take me? Why me, Angela? It must be more than what you let on, what is it, truly, Angela?"   
  
     The Witch sputters, cheeks reddening. How dare she accuse her so. But really, Angela knew she was backed into a corner. Her poor planning led her to this moment. She made her bed, now she had to lay in it.   
  
     "I- I told you, Fareeha! You don't want me to tell anymore, you won't like me then, I promise you that." Angela sinks into her seat, trying to lessen the Egyptian's fury. Really, she should man up and confess, but Angela feared how Fareeha would take it.    
  
     And between them, the sound of destruction erupts. The two women jump to their feet. The front door, now off its hinges, had crashed into the front room. Angela wobbled to her feet, still weak-kneed, in order to confront the intruder. The knight grabbed a fire poker from beside the fireplace, bracing it before her to act as a defense. Stepping forward and into the front room was none other than The Alchemist, Ana Amari.   
  
    "Mother?!" Fareeha relaxed, setting the fire poker to the side, even as she stood confused at the appearance of her mother.   
  
     Angela bristled, teeth bared with her fury. How dare she come to her dwelling and barge into her house like that. How dare She.   
  
     Ana drew closer, raising her rifle and pointing it at The Witch. "Let my daughter go before I kill you and do it myself!"   
  
     "Like hell I will!" Angela barked back. Her hands flew to her hip, fumbling for her nonexistent book. Caught defenseless, Angela took a step back, which Fareeha took to slide between them.    
  
     "Now, let us all calm down. Let us have a real conversation before we do something we'll regret." Fareeha glanced to the both of them, holding her hands out just in case she had to brace either of them back. Angela shifted, dropping her defensive stance, but stepping further behind Fareeha, just in case Ana decided to take the shot.    
  
     "Witch, you possessed my daughter. I refuse to let you continue to mistreat her, so you will let her go, or I will kill you." Ana did not lower her gun, holding it steady before her.   
  
     "I haven't mistreated Fareeha! She agreed to the possession, I did not force her, the deal has been made, you should punish Reinhardt, not me. He is the one who sold your daughter to me."   
  
     "Mother," Fareeha started, "Angela really has been good to me, we were just talking about giving me more freedom."   
  
     "Of- of course, I was planning on releasing her entirely! I care about Fareeha, I want her to be happy, and if leaving me means that, I-I'll let her go." Angela's shoulders fall, truly upset that she may lose Fareeha.   
  
     Fareeha was terribly surprised, for she turned her head to stare at Angela. "You… really care that much about me?"   
  
     "Of course I do!" Angela helped, balling her hands into fists at her sides. The two had completely forgotten about Ana, leaving her off to the side. "Gods- I love you Fareeha! You mean the world to me!"    
  
     "…You love me?" Fareeha stood there, watching her carefully.   
  
     "How could I not? You're so amazing, so perfect. I would be a fool not to love you."    
  
     By now, all three participants had relaxed. Fareeha seemed to be in a state of loose shock, Ana had little clue what was happening so her gun rested pointing to the ground, and Angela slumped forward, looking terribly exhausted and very pitiful. Between the three of them, with nothing else to say, the situation turned awkward.   
  
     "… Are you saying you want to court my daughter?" Ana questioned, her emotions fleeting in her tone. She didn't move to attack Angela, but she did seem a bit accusatory. This piqued Fareeha's interest, and all eyes moved to The Witch.    
  
     With little way out, Angela sighed and confessed. "I've wanted to since I first saw her. She's a beautiful woman, and I know I don't deserve her, but I want her so, so much. Truly, I know I've loved Fareeha since I saw her. No passing crush, I want her with me for the rest of our lives."   
  
     Angela turns her gaze away from Ana, settling on Fareeha. She was unreadable, some sort of confusing shifting emotion in her face, indiscernible. Fareeha on the other hand is an open book. She goes from concerned to shocked to enamored, a strange mix of elation thrumming at the edges of her face and flooding her eyes. She whips to Ana, who seems to be watching Angela just as intensely as Angela is watching Fareeha, then back to Angela, absolutely bare of words.   
  
     Like lightning, with the crack of thunder, Angela is on the ground, face down, still, and Fareeha leaps. When she looks, Ana is removing a shell from her rifle, popping the slightly-warm case onto the wood floor.   
  
     "Mother!!" Fareeha shouts, and surprises herself with the fear and fright in her voice. She stoops down, checking for life from The  Witch.   
  
     "Relax, habibti. It was a tranq. Let's leave." Ana turns on her heel and leaves, stepping over the door still lying in the front room. After rolling Angela onto her back and pulling the biotic round from the soft flesh about her collarbone, she moves her onto the couch, before hurrying after her mother. She had no reason to follow her, but she still wanted to speak with her over what she had done to Angela.   
  
     "There was no reason for shooting her, mother." Fareeha yaps, sliding up beside her to see her face. Ana continued all the same, barely glancing to her daughter.   
  
     "Yes there was," she starts, glancing to the ex-knight, "she was talking too much, saying things she shouldn't. I don't approve of her, no matter how much she says she cares about you. Besides, she's The Witch, she's a danger to you and herself. If she wants you back, fine, but I want you to kill her as soon as you can. She's a fool, she trusts you too much, so it shouldn't be that difficult. You are a knight, she is just a witch. Killing her won't be hard, so do it Fareeha."   
  
     Fareeha was growing furious. She loved Angela! There was no reason to harm her. Ana didn't know her like Fareeha did. "Mother, this is senseless. You don't know Angela! You're treating her like she's insane."   
  
     "Because she is! Fareeha, I know you were too young to see her before she became this, but trust me when I say she hasn't always been the monster she is now, but there's no way to change her back. Once she was a healer, and now she is the insane woman we know. There is no way to get Angela Ziegler back, all that remains is The Witch, so don't use that name. Don't you remember all the times we have welled inside Reinhardt's castle? Fearing the attacks from Junkenstein and the creatures they've created? The Witch doesn't care about us or the people of Adlersbrunn. She wants us dead, and wants us dead more than she wants you."   
  
     "What if I could convince you? I think The Witch is merely a cover, a front. If I could convince her to stop her attacks, would you change your opinion?"    
  
     "No, Fareeha. The Witch hates us far too much. She is a lost cause, it would be better if you just ended her when you returned."   
  
     "Mother, I am not going to kill Angela." Fareeha stops in her tracks, staring her mother down   
  
     Ana spins on her heel, raising an eyebrow to her daughter's words. "Fareeha, if you do not, I will call for a hunter, and she will be taken care of."   
  
     "Go ahead," Fareeha spat "I am not going to harm her."   
  
     Ana scoffed, continuing on her way. "Then that is a mistake you will be living with Fareeha. I hope you are under Angela's control, and you snap out of it and come home."Ana made her way around the pond, still rambling on about Angela's apparent worthlessness. Still silently fuming, Fareeha leaves her there, waiting for her to disappear into the woods before she turned and returned to Angela. She would be unconscious for just a little bit longer, enough to return before Angela awoke and worried about Fareeha missing. Fareeha wondered how life became so complicated, and also when she came to accept it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as of posting this chapter, I have half a chapter in the works that you have not seen yet. However, with finals and family stuff approaching, I will have to take another break. I will still give you this chapter for the sake of "I owe you" and its Friday after all. Next update will be the next Friday I have a chapter finished, but I'm certain it'll be another month, just until I'm not as busy as I am now. Otherwise, I'm doing well and so is this story! I might actually be done far sooner than I expected; within about three or four chapters, not counting fun little fluff-fillers.


	14. Abandoning Work

So I just wanted to send this out so I don't leave any of you hanging. I am going to abandon this work in favor of starting a new project. Frankly, I'm incredibly disappointed in myself and the work I have produced. The story is rushed, the template was airy, and for not writing seriously for nearly three years, starting a project of this size was a very poor decision to make. But, its not all downsides! Now that I've learned and can recognize my flaws within my work, I'm going to begin a new project and make sure this one is far better. So I'm going to post the remainder of "Chapter 14" below, but before that, I'm gonna finish talking about this story! Perhaps, given due time, I will be able to rewrite this into a better piece.

So to start, from chapter 13 forward Angela and Fareeha were going to speak about what they could do to achieve some sort of peace with Reinhardt. In the end, they go and speak to him, and he agrees to let her into the town on one condition; she can no longer use her magic, period. At the start, Angela has a very hard time adjusting, the magic begins to build up and it starts to create health issues, so to burn the energy, she begins working as a doctor again, and by using magic, the townsfolk come to trust and respect her again. After some time Fareeha and Angela decide to get married, but being a """creature of sin""" Angela refuses/can't step into a temple. In the end, she forces herself in, nearly faints at the ceremony, and flees with Fareeha as soon as possible. Later on, Angela holds another wedding, this time non-religious and non-traditional. It was going to be a very pretty scene stuffed with hand-crafts and flowers and whatnot, and have a light rain at the end similar to a fox wedding, and that was going to be the end.

I still hope, at this point in time, that I can begin to improve enough to right the wrongs I have committed in this piece. And I hope you enjoyed it beyond it's flaws. Hope to see you in the next story!!

 

Chapter 14

 

     By the time Fareeha returns home, Angela is sitting up, nursing her wounds from her drop and her foggy head.

     "Your mom shot me. Again." Angela grumbles, running her fingers around the big needle hole in her upper breast.

     "Yeah," Fareeha laughs, "that's kind of her thing…"

     Angela groans and stands only to sit on the couch. She looks up to her, then back down to stare at her hands.

     "I… I assume you have a lot of questions. I owe you." Angela murmurs, pointedly staying away from looking at Fareeha's face.

     "You do." Fareeha wouldn't lie about something like that. She was interested, and really did deserve to know. "But I will let you tell me at your own pace. So first, do you really love me?"

     Angela flushed, her eyes glued to the floor. "Uhm, well, fuck… Yes, I do Fareeha. I love you a lot. You mean a lot to me. I would be very upset if you left me, but I understand you need to." Her eyes rise, staring into Fareeha's. She's pleading, vulnerable, and it hurts to look at, aching deep in Fareeha's chest.

     "I-I love you too." Fareeha finds herself mumbling, staring wide-eyed at Angela.

     Angela seems to be shocked, unable to process the information. "You, you do?" Disbelief and happiness blooms on her face, laughing at the information. "I-I really love you!"

     Fareeha laughs as well, walking over and hugging The Witch. They laugh, at themselves and each other, before pulling away. Angela sighs and sits back down, which Fareeha takes to sit beside her.

     "That… was silly." Fareeha glances to Angela, and the two of them laugh again. They get comfortable together, leaning against one another, the awkward atmosphere gone, and fuzzy fluff remained in the air to wrap them in the warm embrace of cotton-like love. Angela rests her head of Fareeha's shoulder, laughing softly.

     "Any other questions for me?" Angela glances to Fareeha's face, grinning like a fool.

     "Actually, yeah. How about you tell me your history. What is Angela's story?" Fareeha hums, carding her fingers through Angela's loose hair.

     "Angela's story…" She repeats, letting her eyes close. "That is a sad story, so I apologize now, Fareeha."

     "It started before I was born. My parents lived to Adlersbrunn when they were young and newly married. They had me a few years later, I was their first and only. My mother was a schoolteacher who thirsted for knowledge. My father was a doctor, and he excelled in his craft. Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, they were also witches. From the moment I was born, they were teaching me their craft.

     "My father made the mistake of leaving one of his books out while off searching for materials. A villager entered our home and saw it, and that was the end. When he returned home, he was immediately arrested, and joined my mother and I in prison. The trial was that day. The verdict saw them guilty and they, I included, were going to be burned. My parents swore up and down that I knew nothing of their craft. Eventually they won that case, and I was free. Before my eyes, in the town square, my parents were burned to death. I was eight. That is what started my hatred for Adlersbrunn and it's people. Although at the time, I simply hated the judiciary system. Even now, I have no idea why they would punish my parents like that. They healed and taught and that was it. They were good people, good citizens, not once did they harm someone, yet still they were punished with death.

     "Now completely orphaned, I was lucky enough to be adopted into another house. They didn't know I knew so much witchcraft, so I practiced in private. However, at the age of 16, my new parents died again. My step brother left me when we were both 17, and from there I sunk myself deeper into my work. Every second alone I could gather I used to study and practice my craft. I was completely absorbed by my work. Death could hold me in his arms and I'd care more about my search for knowledge and power than him.

     "At the age of 20, I was this town's best doctor.i have saved hundreds of lives and prevented deaths with ease. I am the reason Adlersbrunn is as large as it is. And my secret? Witchcraft. However, my male colleges seemed to believe my intelligence was otherworldly. That's where they were wrong. Everything I know is from I alone. My ability however is magic. They raided my house and found my books, and outed me. I refused to let them kill me like they killed my parents, so I fled.

     "Deep in the woods, I found this clearing, and from there, I made my home. And that is it. Now I am 37. I was scorned, just like my parents. They planned to kill me, even for all the work I've done. If they think they can throw me away for how I work, they don't deserve me at all. I am a healer Fareeha, I save, and they think me a devil worshipper. That is why I hate Adlersbrunn. I want them to pay for throwing me aside and planning to kill me like I was cattle. I'm the strongest person in that damn town, and they have never respected me. So I am going to destroy Adlersbrunn if it's the last thing I do. Whatever I can to make them pay for disrespecting me." 

     Angela was cold and furious, the anger flush on her face, but with the cool simmering of an old wound. She had sat upon this fury for years, and now with someone to speak to about it, it had begun to broil back up.

     "I… can understand why you're upset, then. That is a great injustice, and I'm sorry for your loss. If I could, I'd help you, but I don't know how. I'm sorry Angela." Carefully, Fareeha takes and holds Angela against her, petting her hair and trying her best to comfort her. Angela happily sinks into her, sniffling softly into her chest.

     "Thank you Fareeha. You don't know how much that means to me."

     "… What are we to do now?" Fareeha asks, pulling Angela away just a tad so she can look into her face.

     "I'm going to let you go." Angela answers simply. "You deserve it. Besides, there is go way for me to go back to Adlersbrunn anyway. Not without being scorned and hated and untrusted. I will have to pay for what I have done. And I cannot forgive those who thought I was irredeemable."

     "How about we make them apologize? Let's go and prove them wrong, show them how good you are. If anyone wants to hurt you, they'll have to go through my first." Fareeha stood her ground, certain and serious. She would protect Angela with her life if she wished. Yet still, Angela seemed unsure, taking Fareeha's face in her hands.

     "Are you sure? I don't trust not to be turned on. I'm not a good person Fareeha, I've only been good to you, and that is debatable. All the people I know don't trust me anymore. Why would anyone trust me now?"

     "… Perhaps… Well, I trust and love you, they'd have to listen to me. It'll be alright, I'm sure. Besides, I'm here for you Angela, you've been so kind to me, I need to repay you for that."

     Angela stared, long and hard, judging her quietly. "… Alright. I trust you Fareeha. But still, I don’t know how Reinhardt will even hold an audience for us. If he will even trust us enough not to lock me up as soon as possible. I'm The Witch of the Wilds, I control the uncontrollable, and that’s something to fear."

     Fareeha couldn’t help the cocky, toothy grin pulling at her lips. "And I'm the knight you cant tame."

     Silence hung between them, quiet and hairline, before Angela pulled back her head and laughed. "That’s so cheesy! You're so corny Fareeha. Is this what you're like normally? Goodness! I couldn’t guess in my wildest dreams, when we actually grew close, you'd be like this to me." She sighed, her eyes fluttering up. "I cant believe I love you this much, Fareeha Amari."

     "Didn’t you stalk me for a while? You should know how I act at this point!" Fareeha laughed, elbowing Angela in the ribs.

     All Angela could do was laugh at that. "Ok, ok yes I did, but it was mostly at night, to make sure you got to and from home ok. I trust you and all, but I was really infatuated. You're an amazing woman Fareeha."


End file.
